When we first moved to this part of the world, there was only one nursery run by a very knowledgeable Dutch fellow. There were very few apple trees at the time that would do well in this climate but Gerhard knew his work well and brought in stock only hardy for Zone Three. We had just built a house and wanted to get an early start on tree planting. With a young family and an expensive mortgage, food production was important to us at the time.

We were advised that both Haralson and Harcourt Apples should suit. That was over forty years ago and these two trees have provided us with abundant crops relative to their size every year since. They are large now and their independent crops are enormous probably 400 lbs. each some years.

Harcourt’s apples are softer, not the best keeper but okay for eating and great for cooking. Haralson is a better keeper, a harder apple and quite tart. It is great for cooking. The problem, you may have realized is too many apples. We have made pies, frozen them, sauced them, jellied them, dried them and given them away but we still have an overabundance. When faced with the possibility throwing them away we decided to start juicing in earnest and we have been doing just that for many years now. The juice freezes very well and is the best start to every day’s breakfast. I should also mention these varieties are well known in the cider making world.

Above: Sweet Cicely in the ‘wild’ area under the apple trees.

Left: Apple Blossom is loved by many species of bees, including our own nurtured Mason bees. The pollination rate is superb.

The trees now, forty years later shade part of what once was part of the vegetable garden but they provide a wonderful canopy over a small ‘wild’ area of the garden especially on a hot day. The trees are now under planted with naturalizing crocus in a mini meadow of grass that does not get cut. When the blossom is out in May there is no better place to sit and listen to the hum of the bees. The trees get spayed with Sulphur and Dormant Oil in the spring and I must admit we still get infestations, usually to a much lesser degree, of various insects. They are never to the extent that the crop is destroyed and a hardy gardener feels better with an imperfect crop knowing that the trees have not been sprayed with a more noxious herbicide, as is frequently necessary in the monoculture of orchards.  

Picking season for us is usually late August and late September. Harcourt is always ready first in August and then after break of a few weeks, Haralson is ripe. A frost helps to sweeten the apples but it needs to be a light frost of no more than a few degrees. One year a very sudden cold snap of minus 20C froze the apples on to the tree and there they stayed, ’til Spring.

A bucket load of Haralson Apples, Sept, ’23

The takeaway for the home gardener is that it is wonderful to have a crop of apples every year but best plan with the future in mind. There are many more varieties to grow in zone three now and so assessing what the apples will be used for requires thought. Our trees grew relatively quickly and if we were to do it again, one would be enough. Apple trees also require maintenance as with the spring spray of Dormant Oil and Sulphur to deter virus and insects. If the trees are to be kept to a manageable height for picking they also require annual pruning.

 We would never part with our trees however – they add architectural beauty to the garden, a home for birds, lots of important shade and our own abundant supply of juice.