Golden Delicious Apple Tree

Golden Delicious Apple Tree Overview

The Golden Delicious apple tree is well known not only having well-keeping apples, but also for diverse uses due to its juicy, sweet and honey-like flavor. In fact, you can use golden delicious apples to make dessert, apple sauce, soft apple cider as well as to eat fresh! J.M. Mullins discovered Golden Delicious on his father’s farm in Wast Virginia in 1891.In 1955, Golden Delicious became the official state fruit for West Virginia.

Just like any other apple tree, the Golden Delicious apple tree grows best when it’s planted in full sun in well-drained soil. The tree is moderately vigorous and produces good crop each year if thinned, otherwise will be biennial. Grows well in hardiness zones 5 to 8. Tolerates late frosts. In humid conditions may develop russet skin. Golden Delicious keeps well in cold storage for up to five months. It is not very disease resistant.

Tree Characteristics

• Uses: Eating fresh, dessert, making apple sauce, making soft apple cider
• Taste: Sweet, juicy, fragrant, honey-like taste
• Size: Medium to Large
• Color: Greenish yellow to golden yellow. Can have a red blush. Flesh is creamy.
• Hardiness Zones: 5 – 8
• Disease resistance
  • Scab – susceptible
  • Rust – susceptible
  • Canker – susceptible
  • Fireblight – moderately susceptible
  • Mildew – resistant
  • Brown rot – slightly susceptible
• Harvest period: 5
• Flowering Group: 4
• Cross Pollinates with: Granny Smith, Harry Masters Jersey, Honeycrisp to name a few!
• Cultivation: This apple tree is moderately vigorous. Round spreading tree. Bears fruit on spurs. Produces heavy cropping. Needs to be thinned after fruit sets to make sure you get annual harvests. If not thinned, will become biennial. In humid conditions develops russet skin.
• Storage: Keeps well in cold storage for five months.