The best apple varieties for the Leningrad Region and the North-West

The North-West region of Russia is not among the favorable regions for agriculture in general, and for horticulture in particular. Specific climatic conditions, poor soil can negate all the efforts of gardeners. But, despite the difficulties, enthusiasts of their business were able to withstand the struggle for the harvest and to bring out various varieties of apple trees especially for the northwest.

Apple variety for the Leningrad region.

Growing conditions for apple trees in the northwest

The Leningrad region, like the entire north-western region, is characterized by cold, unstable winters, short and cool summers, an abundance of precipitation, a very limited fertile soil layer and a high level of groundwater standing.

Unfavorable factors that affect the growth and development of fruit trees:

• frequent winter thaws;
• sharp changes in winter daily temperatures;
• a small height of the snow cover, which, moreover, sometimes completely melts in the middle of winter;
• frequent change in the direction of the winds;
• uneven precipitation.

Gardeners have to adapt to difficult weather conditions, choosing those fruit crops that can be grown with minimal damage to the tree itself.

Summing up

Peter I, despite his interest in exotic plants, introduced a new symbol of royal meals - a lion with an apple in his teeth. At the same time in St. Petersburg, along with the Pharmaceutical Garden and the Summer Garden, the foundation was laid for the "Garden Office", where foreign varieties of apple trees were adapted to domestic conditions. Before that, apples of the highest grades were only imported and were used only by boyars. But human tenacity overcame an unfavorable climate and poor soil.

A modern resident of the Leningrad Region, choosing varieties of columnar apple trees for planting, can be sure that he will have a harvest! For this, the breeders have done everything possible.

How to choose an apple tree for the northern regions

The most important qualities when choosing:

• winter-hardy and frost-hardy look;
• early maturity;
• disease resistance;
• the height of an adult tree - tall, medium-sized and low-growing apple trees (dwarf);
• self-fertility (self-fertile - self-pollinating varieties that do not need cross-pollinators or insect pollinators);
• taste characteristics of fruits.

The main goal of the gardener is to achieve an abundant yield of fruit crops. At the same time, it is desirable to minimize material costs and physical labor for growing and caring for the garden.

How to choose a variety according to the ripening period

By the time of ripening, apple trees are conventionally divided into early (summer), middle (autumn) and late (winter). Summer apples are practically not stored - they are good only fresh, so a large harvest of such apples is not needed. Apples of autumn varieties can retain their presentation and taste for up to 2.5 months, in addition, they are well suited for further processing.

Ripening apples on a branch.

Winter varieties are laid for long-term storage. The apples are removed from the tree slightly unripe; during storage, the fruits ripen. For winter apples, such a concept as "keeping quality" is important: the longer the fruits can be stored, the longer you can eat apples from your own garden.

Apple varieties for Karelia.Start searching for winter varieties

For the last 15 years, in my garden, I have been testing many new varieties with a long shelf life, obtained from Orel, Michurinsk, Belarus and North America. The experience seemed to me to be successful.
The first to please me were the varieties from Orel - Freshness and Imrus. They freeze slightly in our zone, although in the gardens of many friends they froze to death. Firstly, they are immune to scab, and secondly, they are fast-growing and very productive. But the main thing is that they are kept in the basement until spring and make our grandchildren happy. About ten years ago, a branch from a cutting received from Susov - it was the Belarusian variety Alesya - fruited. I saved the apples until the end of February, before my birthday. When I put them on the table, all the guests and even the little grandchildren noted that they were very sweet and large, and they had no equal in the aroma that filled the room. Nobody ate anything like that. Store-bought - give off chemistry and herbaceous, our old varieties are sour and less aromatic. And the Belarusian novelties were able to withstand winters up to -35 and give brightly colored fruits in October, which remained until May in an ordinary basement. At a time when our breeders in Orel and Michurinsk worked mainly on varieties immune to scab and worsened the taste and keeping quality of their new products, Sinap Orlovsky, Kandil Orlovsky are perhaps the only worthy of the Oryol tested varieties, breeders of the BelNII garden carried out a huge amount of hybridization ( more than two million seedlings) and have identified interesting hybrids. And most importantly, after many years of testing, scientists have spread these varieties across the gardens. Most of them turned out to be very winter-hardy and were stored until spring.

The best apple varieties for the Leningrad region

When choosing an apple tree, one should not forget one more important factor: the variety must necessarily be zoned, i.e. recommended for cultivation in a certain region.

Thanks to the many years of work of breeders, many varieties of apple trees have appeared for the Leningrad region. The well-known Antonovka, White filling or Melba are being replaced by new varieties that attract the attention of gardeners with good fruit quality and high stable yield. We recommend that you take a closer look at those varieties that were included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements, approved for use from the 90s of the 20th century to the present day. They are most suitable for the requirements of modern gardeners. And of course, you shouldn't forget the old, proven over decades, varieties. Moreover, all new ones are bred using old varieties of folk selection that have long proven themselves well.

Apple trees in summer early ripening

Summer varieties of apple trees: fruit ripening time mid-July - early August, shelf life up to 3 weeks. Compared to late varieties, apples are the sweetest in taste, the flesh is not so dense. Summer varieties are distinguished by good frost resistance, but they do not tolerate sudden temperature changes, especially characteristic of spring.

Apple tree early summer ripening Avenarius.

Table: summer apple trees for the Leningrad region

Designations in the table:

• B - high rate;
• C is the average;
• H - low rate;
• P - periodic;
• Р - regular;
• K- - large;
• M - small.
• ◄С - average and less than average;
• С► - average and above average.

Autumn varieties of apple trees

They differ from summer fruits in large size, rich bright color, ripening and storage time. The main harvest time is September.

Autumn apple variety Scarlet Anise.

Autumn apples are versatile:

• they are good to eat straight from the tree;
• autumn apples are stored for up to two and a half months;
• perfect for subsequent processing (preserves, jams, marmalades, compotes, dried fruits, wines).

Table: autumn varieties for the Leningrad region

Winter apple trees

The main difference between winter varieties of apple trees is that their fruits can be stored for a very long time without losing their nutritional value and presentation. Many early varieties cannot boast of the excellent aroma of fruits, which the winter ones retain for a very long time.

The fruits of winter apple trees are not recommended to be eaten immediately after removal: thick peel and hard, often sour flesh will not bring any gastronomic pleasure. Apples need to rest for a while in order to achieve the best condition. Only then will you be able to fully experience the taste and aroma of a winter apple.

Winter apple tree Idared.

In order for apples to reach the desired condition, they must be stored at a certain temperature and humidity. This process is called ripening. In the process of ripening, the fruits acquire a characteristic color for the variety, the acid content decreases, starch turns into glucose, and as a result, we get a sweet, juicy and beautiful apple.

Table: winter varieties for the Leningrad region

general characteristics

Yet gardeners have to take local conditions into account. In order not to be upset by failures and spent funds later. And start anew in 5-10 years. That's pay attention:

• For winter hardiness;
• The ability to resist disease. Especially fungal diseases. Especially scab;
• Early frosts make you pay attention to varieties that have time to ripen by that time.

And you will also consider:

• Tree type: Height;
• Width;
• Dense or sparse crown;
• What does it look like - a pyramid, a ball or an oval;
• Plant Antonovka, and she will take half of the site.

I noticed it myself! You plant it on the recommendation - it seems you leave a lot of space between the seedlings. And when you grew up, you remember the kind words of your advisers.

• Apple type: The size;
• Coloring;
• Even shades and plaque.

• How long to wait for the first harvest: Maybe you won't have the patience to wait 7-8 years.

We will consider the specific best varieties of apple trees below.

It is interesting to read reviews of gardeners. And not dry academic assessments of specialists. Indeed, according to some experts, it is necessary to get rid of some old varieties. Antonovka, Korobovka, Moscow Grushovka, White filling, they need to be changed. And they are in good demand. I also have Borovinka. New items are attracting attention. I would like to grow both the Silver Hoof and the Belarusian Raspberry. And others. But mine is enough for me.

I have been renovating my garden for several years. But from the old ones I still leave White filling and Glory to the winners. Iyulskoe Chernenko, Antey, Krasa Sverdlovsk complemented the assortment very well. Interesting varieties are Baltic and Finnish. I will get acquainted in more detail. Nurseries offer. But the advice of experts is needed. Who they have not the first year.

And for several more years I have been working on columnar apple trees in my area. There is a lot of advertising. The cost is decent. But so far they cannot replace our reliable ones - White filling, Zvezdochka, Streyfling, Bogatyr. They look beautiful. And the taste is not very happy. Maybe I'm in a hurry with conclusions? But the columnar ones bear fruit earlier. A dozen apples are just for a change.

Two varieties of the Ural collection delighted me. Its winter hardiness, productivity. Beauty of Sverdlovsk and Silver Hoof. I advise others to land at their place. You will not regret.

Features of growing apple trees in the Leningrad region

When laying a garden, you need to take into account all the conditions for the growth of trees:

• soil composition;
• the proximity of the groundwater table;
• wind rose;
• site relief;
• tree planting time (autumn or spring).

Based on these calculations, you can start choosing the most suitable varieties and start planting.

Planting an apple tree

The survival rate of the seedling directly depends on the choice of the correct planting time. In the fall, you need to have time to plant a seedling before the onset of frost. The recommended dates for autumn planting in the Leningrad region are from October 1 to October 31. Spring planting should not start earlier than mid-April, you need to finish no later than mid-May.

Scheme of the correct planting of an apple tree.

A week and a half before planting, a pit is prepared with a depth and width of at least 50 cm. A small layer of medium-sized stones is poured at the bottom for better drainage. The soil, which the roots will be covered with, is mixed with humus or peat. Immediately before planting, the hole is half covered with prepared soil, well tamped. Then a seedling is placed in the center and covered with the remaining earth. The earth is compacted again, a low side is made around, the seedling is watered abundantly.

For better stability of a young apple tree, during planting, you can stick a peg next to it, so that later you can tie a seedling to it.

Gardeners reviews

… I can advise the variety Candy - a summer variety, it can start bearing fruit in the year of planting, apples are medium-sized, sweet, very tasty. It does not freeze, there was no scab (at least on its own tree) defeat.

mogileva

I like the Silver Hoof variety the most. The most fruitful and delicious of all the others in our region. Better it has never been. Juicy. Smart, scab resistant. Winters well.And when ripe on the tree, the golden pulp becomes translucent. In this case, there is no "wadded". We are very satisfied and recommend it to everyone. In St. Petersburg, it is sold with a closed root system. Therefore, it can be planted at any time.

Alexei

Melba grows well even with me, although I am in the north of the Leningrad region, and my site is inclined to the lake, and all the time there is wind. In general, everything is growing badly for me.

Yana Zhdanova

In the Leningrad region, there is a very thin fertile layer, so you need to be very careful when handling apple seedlings. The best varieties for this area are Antey, Aelita, Melba and Welsey. But first you need to calculate how many varieties there will be winter, summer and autumn, so that the apples remain fresh all year round.

Vyacheslav Belik

Golden Chinese, this is ours. Small ones, really of some kind of Chinese taste, you can't tell, neither sweet nor sour - but small, surprisingly transparent when ripe - and this is a maximum of August and even earlier and something amazing ... :-) ...

Goremaster

Before buying apple seedlings, ask what varieties your neighbors grow and how comfortable they are in this area. You can pick trees with similar characteristics from the presented review. Plant several apple trees of different ripening periods, then healthy and tasty fruits will always be present in your diet.

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