Best Apples for Winter Storage

The 25 varieties in our catalog that scored 8 or higher out of 10 for keeping. Scored on how long the fruit holds its quality in ordinary storage after harvest.

An 8 is Very good on the adapted Beach (1905) grade, a 9 is Very good to best and a 10 is Best. Beach put very good and best in the higher classes, above what he called medium, and that is why the line sits at 8 and why an 8 is hard to get. Varieties that scored 6 or 7 are genuinely good at this too, and you will find them under the matching Shop by Use group. How we rate fruit.

Every score here is sourced, and nothing is on this list on our word alone. The reasoning and every source behind it is in the Best Of research. That is a working document, so if your experience is different, tell us.

More about apples that keep all winter

Every apple on this list needs a pollenizer, so plan on at least two different apples, or an apple and a crabapple, blooming at the same time. Belle de Boskoop and Roxbury Russet are triploids, so plant two other apples near them. Our pollination maps show what blooms together.

For the coldest spots, Kerr applecrab is hardy to zone 2 and scored 8/10 for keeping, and Honeycrisp is rated to zone 2b with a 9/10. MN 1628 (9/10), Golden Russet and Prairie Spy (8/10) are rated through all of zone 3. Black Oxford, Colorado Orange and Reinette Simirenko all scored 9/10 and are rated to zone 3b. Newtown Pippin, Roxbury Russet, Thunderbolt and Yates scored 9/10 too, but they need zone 4. If you don't know your zone, the cold hardiness calculator will tell you.

Some of these get better in the cellar. Black Oxford improves in storage till spring, Prairie Spy is better after storage, and Glockenapfel's flavor builds after harvest. A Maine grower kept Hunt Russet a full year in his root cellar. To spread out picking, Honeycrisp and Triumph ripen in September, while Northern Spy and Newtown Pippin come in mid October or later. Deer go after all of these, so protect young trees. Apples that scored 6 or 7 for keeping are under good keepers.

Questions we get

What apples keep the longest in storage?

Our 9/10 keepers include Black Oxford, Newtown Pippin, Roxbury Russet, Thunderbolt and Honeycrisp. A Maine grower kept Hunt Russet (8/10) a full year in his root cellar.

What storage apples grow in zone 3?

MN 1628, Golden Russet and Prairie Spy are rated through all of zone 3. Kerr applecrab (zone 2) and Honeycrisp (zone 2b) go colder still.

Do I need two apple trees for winter keepers?

Yes. Every apple on this list needs cross-pollination, so plant a second apple or crabapple that blooms at the same time. Belle de Boskoop and Roxbury Russet are triploids and need two other apples.

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