Norda Apple

Overview

Norda is a Canadian-bred cold-climate apple introduced in 1976 and developed for far-northern regions. It’s valued for reliable production under harsh conditions, early ripening, and respectable fresh-eating quality with moderate storage for a summer apple.

Origin & History

Norda was developed in Canada as part of northern apple breeding, selected at the Morden Research Station in Manitoba and introduced in 1976 through Agriculture Canada’s Beaverlodge Research Station near Grande Prairie, Alberta. It belongs to the group of apples bred for cold climates and northern plantings, where reliable fruiting and winter survival are priorities. The accepted parentage for Norda is Rosilda × Trail, reflecting its heritage from these two hardy apple cultivars.

Fruit Quality & Uses

Norda is a small-to-medium apple with a red blush or striping, crisp flesh, and good flavor for a very hardy apple, with a reputation for being a good keeper among cold-climate summer apple varieties. It’s typically positioned as a dual-purpose apple (fresh plus kitchen), especially in northern contexts where flavor is often traded for survival.

Growth Habit & Spacing

Norda is vigorous to moderately vigorous with an upright-spreading habit, and relatively precocious. Spacing depends on rootstock, but a practical baseline is 12–15 ft on semi-dwarf systems and 18–20+ ft on more vigorous or standard systems.

Pollination

Norda needs another apple variety that blooms at the same time. Any compatible apple cultivar that overlaps bloom can serve as a pollenizer, including some other apples varieties we offer, and varieties of applecrabs/crabapple. Some examples include Norkent, Norson, Norland, Dearborn's Unknown, Zestar!, Lodi, Prairie Sensation, September Ruby as well as some applecrabs including Chestnut, Kerr, Trailman, and others.

Cold Hardiness

In Alaska-oriented sources, such as this one here, it is described as moderately hardy relative to the very hardiest apples for Alaska, and they not that it may not be hardy enough for interior Alaska.

Norda has survived −47°F in multiple winters in Gallatin Gateway, Montana for Ed Schultz with no winter injury. That said, this was in the wee of of a morning. Can it withstand these cold temps for extended periods of time? This may be where there have been some reports on Norda not doing as well in some parts of interior Alaska. Site selection therefore for Norda must be considered (avoid depressions or areas prone to frost pooling). Plant in a spot uphill or where there is good frost drainage.

We would list Norda as a zone 2 apple, good for about everywhere in Montana, even some of the coldest places east of the divide. But again, if we're talking hardy for some of the coldest places in interior Alaska, look to some others such as Norland, Norkent, Norson, (of the Nor-series we are offering for 2026), Dearborn's Unknown, Rescue, Trailman, Chestnut, and Dolgo.

Image: Resolution enhanced from a public domain image. The crabapple is unchanged, but some of the surrounding text and numbers may vary.