11/25/2025
I think a lot of us make the same mistake when we start our first orchard: We buy the apples we recognize from the grocery store. 🍎🛒
But as you can see in this chart, "Popular" definitely does not mean "Easy to Grow."
We took the Top 25 Most Popular Apple Varieties in America and cross-referenced them with fire blight resistance data from 11 universities. The results? A whole lot of red bars at the top of the list.
Market favorites like Gala, Fuji, and Granny Smith might be delicious, but they have almost no natural defense against disease. If you live in a "High Pressure" zone (anywhere with a warm, humid spring like the South or Midwest), planting these is often a recipe for heartbreak.
But look closely at the chart—you don't have to give up popular apples entirely.
Honeycrisp is the big exception here. Despite being a massive commercial success, it actually has a strong "green bar" for resistance. And further down the popularity list, you find absolute tanks like Arkansas Black that can shrug off disease without constant spraying.
Check the graph below to see if your favorite apple is a survivor or a liability.
