Red Baron Apple (Spring 2027)

Yes. Red Baron 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 1 to 3. It has good pollen, so it can also pollenize other apples blooming at the same time. Partners we carry include Dolgo Crabapple (Bundle of 2), Chestnut Applecrab, Crimson Beauty Apple.

We rate Red Baron Apple hardy to zone 3, which means winters down to about -40°F. Our notes have it taking -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 850 and 1,150. The one published figure we found (about 300 hours) looks borrowed from Red Baron peach, so that's our estimate from its relatives and origin. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.

About Sep 7 to Sep 19 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.

We graft Red Baron Apple onto Dolgo (full size), which makes a tree roughly 20 to 30 ft tall if you never prune it.

Our top use scores for Red Baron Apple are fresh eating (6/10).

For some diseases, yes. It's resistant to apple scab. It holds up moderately well against fire blight. Nobody has published solid data on it for cedar-apple rust 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 Red Baron Apple with a fence or a cage, especially while it is young.