AKApples

06/04/2026

Juliet cherry blossoms will open in the next couple of days.

06/04/2026

Juliet cherry blossoms will start opening up in the next couple of days. Hardy, reliable, good tasting for a tart cherry, less splitting than many other cherries. 7 foot tall bushes.

05/30/2026

https://youtu.be/uIdI0C-cVnw?si=3XdKajgih5MqSgxz

Two new, early ripening apples from apple breeder Steven Edholm of Skillcult have potential to be good cooking apples for Alaska, Twang and Integrity. Both are currently under trial in our orchard. For two winters they are coming back just fine (including -25 with no snow cover this winter) and leafing out earlier than some other cultivars in the orchard.

A third in the same breeding batch, Amberwine is also under trial here and doing just fine after three winters.

This new summer pie apple is named Integrity. It is a cross betwee...

05/30/2026

Twang and Integrity apples show potential for possible good cooking apples in Alaska. Along with Amberwine, all three currently under trial in our Wasilla orchard.

05/30/2026

One thing that surprised me over the last couple of days of talking to people as they were picking up trees was the amount of people looking for good cooking apples.

Most apples we grow here in Alaska are summer apples which are soft and do not keep long. We just don’t have the heat and length of growing season to grow apples that are more firm and last longer.

Most apples up here are pretty mushy when cooked, great for applesauce. We do use them for apple pie and other baking but finding apples that keep their form when cooked is probably hard to come by.

Apple breeder Steven Edholm of Skillcult has come out with a couple early apples that I believe may help fill this void, Twang and Integrity. They are Williams Pride x Vixen crosses he bred in 2015 and recently released. The apples hold their form when cooked.

Currently I am trialing both of these in the orchard and know others in Alaska are doing so as well. They have gone through two winters so far, 2024 above ground in pots and 2025 in the ground. They came back fine both years including this year’s-25 temperature with no snow cover. They are leafing out just as good if not better than other cultivars in the orchard. So far they are passing the hardiness test, ripening will not be known for a few years.

A third apple of Williams Pride x Vixen cross, Amberwine is also under trial here, going through three winters. One small scion on another tree will blossom this year.

I will share a short video from Skillcult on Integrity.

05/29/2026

Expecting a massive amount of Rescue apple blossoms this year which should really bring in the pollinators.

05/29/2026

It’s a very heavy year for Rescue buds. With some hot weather finally expected next week these should open then. Expecting a massive amount of white fragrant blossoms which should really bring in the pollinators.

05/28/2026

Apple trees $35 each Friday May 29 by appointment only. Wasilla city limits. Message for details.

05/28/2026

Apple tree sale #2. This Friday, May 29.

I have the following apple trees for sale at $35 each. All were grafted last year and were wintered over in pots above ground, with temperatures getting down to -25 with no snow cover.

Like most everything else they are still coming out of dormancy. They have not leafed out but have buds growing so have survived the winter. The advantage of not being leafed out is they transport easier (no leaves to break) and transplant better (if you are ready to do so).

Most are whips (one central leader growing with no branches) and approximately 1-1/2’ to 2-1/2’ tall at ground level.

You can buy larger trees elsewhere but will pay a lot more. At $35 each it gives you the chance to try a few especially if you are starting or adding to an orchard.

Varieties, quantities and approximate ripening time at our orchard inside Wasilla city limits (may be different for you). A couple of these are from young trees that have not fruited for us yet but do fruit for south central growers (Yellow Jay, Collet). Many of these are later ripening apples so need your best and sunniest location.

Norland - 3 early September
Goodland - 1 late September
Viking - 1 late September
Yellow Jay - 1 mid/late September?
State Fair - 1 late September/early October
Quinte - 5 late September
Redfree - 1 late September/early October
Williams Pride - 2 late September/early October
Zestar - 6 late September/early October
Collet - 3 late September/early October
Melba - 2 early October
Summer Red - 9 early October (mother tree grown in Meadow Lakes)
Chestnut crab - 4 early October
Kinderkrisp- 2 early October

If you are interested, these are available for pick up this Friday, May 29. Since this is a private residence please send a message with what trees you are interested in and I can give directions. It is appointment only so I know who is coming when. This also gives enough time to talk planting, care, any other apple tree questions that might come up.

While I won’t rule out picking trees up a different day, I’d like to stick with this Friday as much as possible as other days will be a lot more difficult.

I take cash, check, Venmo, PayPal. There may be one more tree sale after this one but most likely a smaller amount of trees and later in the summer.

A few sample apple photos below with descriptions under each one.

AND, there’s more! Just a couple minutes away from me is Sundog Orchard who has lots of haskaps for sale. Please reach out to him for more details but you could come get apple trees and haskaps in the same trip. We are both by appointment only so please inquire.

05/25/2026

https://pomiferous.com/

Pomiferous is a very good site if you want to learn traits of many different apples. A lot of what is grown in Alaska are apples not known to many people (not Honeycrisp, Gala, etc.). I use this site a lot and have found it very helpful. Top right three dashes on the site bring up a search bar.

The worlds most extensive apples website