Franklin Cider Apple (Spring 2027)

Yes. Franklin Cider Apple needs pollen from a different variety that blooms at about the same time. Plant a different apple or crabapple variety that blooms in groups 3 to 5. Its pollen quality isn't confirmed yet, so don't count on it as the only pollenizer for another tree. Partners we carry include Otterson Crabapple, Trail Crabapple, Alexander Apple.

We rate Franklin Cider Apple hardy to zone 3, which means winters down to about -40°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.

About 1,000 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 800 and 1,200. That comes from published figures for this variety. A northern Vermont bittersharp; the original tree has taken -34°F without damage. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.

We graft Franklin Cider 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.

Our top use scores for Franklin Cider Apple are hard cider (8/10), juice and sweet cider (7/10), fresh eating (6/10). Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.

Yes, for the diseases it's been tested for. It's resistant to apple scab and cedar-apple rust. Nobody has published solid data on it for fire blight and powdery mildew yet, so we list those as unknown. Our apple disease resistance chart has every rating, the notes and the sources.

Yes, deer love it. Protect Franklin Cider Apple with a fence or a cage, especially while it is young.

A dormant bare-root plant, roots wrapped in moist sawdust with a vapor barrier, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring. Sizes offered: 4-6 ft. We guarantee our plants bud out. Stone fruits can be slow, so if one still has not budded out by August 15, write to us and we credit you for the following spring.