🌳 APPLE ASHMEAD'S KERNEL

Identification

• Botanical name : Malus domestica ‘Ashmead's Kernel’

• Origin : England (Gloucestershire)

• Type : Heritage and traditional apple

• Indicative hardiness : Zone 4 (to be confirmed depending on the rootstock)

🌳 Tree

• Vigor : Medium

• Shape : Upright and slightly spreading

• Height : Variable depending on the rootstock

• Flowering : Mid-season to late

• Fruit set : Rather slow

🍎 Fruit

• Size : Small to medium

• Color : Yellowish-green, heavily russeted

• Flesh : Yellowish, firm and crisp

• Taste : Sweet, tart and very aromatic

• Flavor : Notes of pear and spices

📅 Harvest and storage

• Harvest : October

• Best tasting period : November to January

• Storage : Until March in good conditions

🌸 Pollination

• Not self-fertile.

• Triploid variety : pollen generally sterile.

• Possible pollinators : Golden Delicious, Braeburn or other diploid varieties with compatible flowering.

• Requires a pollinator nearby.

🌱 Cultivation

• Exposure : Full sun

• Soil : Fertile and well-drained

• Watering : Regular

• Pruning : Annual, to air the canopy

• Resistance : Generally good resistance reported to scab.

⭐ Strengths

• Exceptional flavor.

• Excellent dessert apple.

• Very good storage

• Old variety sought after by enthusiasts.

⚠️ Points to watch

• Relatively small fruits.

• Sometimes irregular production.

• Slow fruit set.

• Hardiness to watch in cold regions.

An excellent choice for a family orchard of heritage varieties. Prefer for flavor quality rather than yield.