Belle de Boskoop Apple Tree | Bare Root, Zone 3b

Belle de Boskoop Apple

$89.99

Reliable shipping

Flexible returns

Pollination Needs a partnerTriploid

Bloom group 3 of 7 (Early-Mid)

See trees that will pollenize it Apple Pollination Map

Ripening

Will it finish before your first hard freeze?

Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)

At a glance: Belle de Boskoop Apple is an apple tree rated hardy to zone 3b from other growers' reports (winters to -35°F), not self-fertile, so it needs a different variety nearby as a pollenizer (bloom group 3 of 7, early-mid for an apple or crabapple), and it ripens about Oct 14 to Oct 26 in Missoula (our Missoula estimate).

Hardy to	Zone 3b to 7. The b means the warmer half of zone 3 only (winters to -35°F). Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator.
Pollination	Needs Cross-Pollination. Bloom group 3 of 7 (early-mid), late spring here. This is a triploid, so its pollen is poor and it can't pollenize other trees. Plant two different apple or crabapple varieties with good pollen that bloom in groups 2 to 4. Good partners we carry: Hewe's Virginia Crabapple, Hyslop Crabapple, Wickson Crabapple, Blue Pearmain Apple and 101 more. Apple Pollination Map.
Ripens	About Oct 14 to Oct 26 in Missoula (a Missoula estimate from published sources). Real years swing about a week either way. See the date for your town.
Rootstock and size	Bud 118: semi-dwarf in our dry Montana soils, semi-standard on paper, about 12 to 18 ft tall unpruned. Stands on its own, few suckers. Our rootstock guide.
Good for	Pies and baking (8/10), sauce and butter (8/10), cooking and roasting (8/10), winter storage (8/10), salads and slicing (7/10), juice and sweet cider (7/10). Scores are our 1 to 10 ratings, but since this is our first year with it they're based on published descriptions and other growers, not our own harvests. 8 and up makes our Best Of lists.
Deer	A deer favorite. Fence it or cage it.
What you get	Bare root, 5-7 ft. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out.

Belle de Boskoop is a large, tart, heirloom apple that originated in Boskoop, Netherlands, in 1856. Recognized for its rustic greenish-yellow skin with red blush and russeting, it has firm, crisp, aromatic flesh with high acidity. This makes it an outstanding all-purpose apple. It's excellent for pies, cakes, and strudels, prized in cider blends, and sharp but enjoyable fresh if you like a tangy flavor. A superb keeper, its flavor mellows and improves in storage over several months.

The tree is vigorous, heavy-bearing, and some have reported showing a good resistance to scab and canker. It is triploid, so it needs two other varieties with good pollen blooming nearby, and it ripens late in the season. Hardy to zone 3b, so it will likely do well in most places in Western Montana. Likely wouldn't survive in areas that experience below -40F.

Please note: this is the first year we’re growing Belle de Boskoop in Montana, so our notes are based on trusted secondhand sources rather than firsthand experience.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia user Sandstein

Questions we get about Belle de Boskoop Apple

Does Belle de Boskoop Apple need a pollenizer?

Yes. Belle de Boskoop Apple needs pollen from a different variety that blooms at about the same time. This is a triploid, so its pollen is poor and it can't pollenize other trees. Plant two different apple or crabapple varieties with good pollen that bloom in groups 2 to 4. Partners we carry include Hewe's Virginia Crabapple, Hyslop Crabapple, Wickson Crabapple.

How cold hardy is Belle de Boskoop Apple?

We list Belle de Boskoop Apple at zone 3b, which means winters down to about -35°F. This is our first year growing it, so that rating comes from other growers' reports and published sources, not our own winters. We'll adjust it once our trees have seen a few Montana winters.

When does Belle de Boskoop Apple ripen?

About Oct 14 to Oct 26 in Missoula, Montana (an estimate built from published sources and our climate). Warmer places run earlier and cooler places later; our ripening map converts the date to your town.

How big does Belle de Boskoop Apple get?

We graft Belle de Boskoop Apple onto Bud 118 (semi-dwarf in our dry Montana soils, semi-standard on paper), which makes a tree roughly 12 to 18 ft tall if you never prune it.

What is Belle de Boskoop Apple good for?

Our top use scores for Belle de Boskoop Apple are pies and baking (8/10), sauce and butter (8/10), cooking and roasting (8/10), winter storage (8/10). Since this is our first year with it, those scores come from published descriptions and other growers, not our own harvests. Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.

Will deer eat Belle de Boskoop Apple?

Yes, deer love it. Protect Belle de Boskoop Apple with a fence or a cage, especially while it is young.

Pollination partners

Trees that will pollenize Belle de Boskoop Apple

Belle de Boskoop Apple needs a different apple or crabapple nearby to set fruit. Every tree below blooms at the same time and has pollen that works for it. Plant partners within about 100 feet.

Belle de Boskoop Apple is a triploid. Its pollen is poor, so it can't pollenize these back. Plant two of them so every tree in the planting gets pollenized.

Bloom group 3 of 7 (Early-Mid)

Pollination Needs a partner

Pollen Poor (triploid)

105 trees we carry will pollenize it. Showing the best matches, in-stock first.