{"product_id":"roxbury-russet-apple","title":"Roxbury Russet Apple","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"mft-facts\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAt a glance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Roxbury Russet Apple is an apple tree rated hardy to zone 4 in our ratings (winters to -30°F), and not self-fertile, so it needs a different variety nearby as a pollenizer (bloom group 5 of 7, mid-late for an apple or crabapple).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ctable class=\"mft-facts-table\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eHardy to\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eZone 4 to 8. A bare number means the whole of zone 4, colder half included (winters to -30°F). Find your zone with our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/cold-hardiness-calculator\"\u003ecold hardiness calculator\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003ePollination\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNeeds Cross-Pollination. Bloom group 5 of 7 (mid-late), 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 4 to 6. Good partners we carry: \u003ca href=\"\/products\/black-oxford-apple\"\u003eBlack Oxford Apple\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/honeycrisp\"\u003eHoneycrisp Apple\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/northern-spy-apple\"\u003eNorthern Spy Apple\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/oriole-apple\"\u003eOriole Apple\u003c\/a\u003e and 71 more. \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/apple-pollination-map\"\u003eApple Pollination Map\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eRootstock and size\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDolgo: full size, about 20 to 30 ft tall unpruned. Very hardy and well anchored. \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/rootstocks\"\u003eOur rootstock guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eGood for\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWinter storage (9\/10), hard cider (8\/10), fresh eating (7\/10), juice and sweet cider (7\/10), cooking and roasting (6\/10), pies and baking (6\/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eDeer\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eA deer favorite. Fence it or cage it.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eWhat you get\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBare root, 5-7 ft. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eOverview\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNote: \u003cem\u003eThis is a new variety for us, so the information below is based on historical pomological sources and grower reports rather than our own long-term, first-hand experience.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoxbury Russet is widely regarded as the oldest named apple cultivar in North America, long valued for its durability, storability, and distinctive russeted fruit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eOrigin and History\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoxbury Russet originated in Massachusetts and is documented in cultivation by the mid-1600s, making it a foundational apple of early colonial orchards. It was grown extensively throughout New England for centuries, not because it was flashy or early, but because it reliably produced fruit that could be stored and eaten deep into winter. Its longevity in American orchards speaks to both its resilience and its practical value in a pre-refrigeration world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eFruit \u0026amp; Uses\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe fruit is medium-sized with heavy, rough russeting over greenish-gold skin. Flesh is firm, dense, and mildly sweet with a nutty, earthy, almost pear-like flavor that develops and improves noticeably after storage. Roxbury Russet has historically been prized as a winter keeper, excelling for fresh eating after a period of storage, as well as for baking and cider. It is not typically an apple meant for immediate eating at harvest, but rather one that rewards patience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eGrowth Habit \u0026amp; Spacing\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTrees are typically vigorous, long-lived, and spreading, especially on standard rootstocks. Like many very old cultivars, Roxbury Russet can be slower to come into bearing compared to modern apples, but it compensates with durability and longevity. Spacing on Dolgo rootstock (what we currently offer) is in the 18-20 ft. range. Tighter spacing could be applied for a more intensive pruning regiment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003ePollination\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoxbury Russet is not self-fertile and requires a compatible apple pollenizer with overlapping bloom. As a diploid apple, it both requires and provides viable pollen and fits well into mixed plantings with other mid-season blooming apples. Examples of what could cross with Roxbury Russet includes the following: 9-22 End, Alexander, Arkansas Black, Ashmead’s Kernel, Blue Pearmain, Brown Snout, Cortland, Crimson Beauty, Empire, Freedom, Frostbite, KinderKrisp, McIntosh, MN 1628, Northern Spy, Paula Red, Pristine, Spartan, Chestnut, Centennial, Martha, Rescue, Trailman\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCold Hardiness\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCommonly reported as a zone 4 apple, there are anecdotal online claims of survival to colder temperatures, sometimes as low as the -40°F range, but we have not confirmed this. For now, until we have more experience with it, we are listing it as hardy to -30F, and therefore for Montana growers, should just be grown in the warmest valleys of western MT. These are: Blackfoot, Bitterroot, Clark Fork, Flathead, Jocko, Lower Kootenai, Mission, Missoula, and Upper Flathead \/ North Fork. For Eastern MT, could possibly work in Billings and the surrounding warmer microclimates.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"mft-faq\"\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eQuestions we get about Roxbury Russet Apple\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eDoes Roxbury Russet Apple need a pollenizer?\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes. Roxbury Russet 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 4 to 6. Partners we carry include Black Oxford Apple, Honeycrisp Apple, Northern Spy Apple.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eHow cold hardy is Roxbury Russet Apple?\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe rate Roxbury Russet Apple hardy to zone 4, which means winters down to about -30°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eHow big does Roxbury Russet Apple get?\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe graft Roxbury Russet Apple onto Dolgo (full size), which makes a tree roughly 20 to 30 ft tall if you never prune it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eWhat is Roxbury Russet Apple good for?\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur top use scores for Roxbury Russet Apple are winter storage (9\/10), hard cider (8\/10), fresh eating (7\/10), juice and sweet cider (7\/10). Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eWill deer eat Roxbury Russet Apple?\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes, deer love it. Protect Roxbury Russet Apple with a fence or a cage, especially while it is young.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eWhat arrives, and when does Roxbury Russet Apple ship?\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA dormant bare-root plant, roots wrapped in moist sawdust with a vapor barrier, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring. Sizes offered: 5-7 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n","brand":"Montana Fruit Trees","offers":[{"title":"Dolgo Full Size: 5-7 ft. (One Year Older) Pruned to 5 ft. for Shipping","offer_id":42504523776066,"sku":null,"price":89.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0626\/5687\/2514\/files\/roxbury-russet-apple-harvest.jpg?v=1789021037","url":"https:\/\/www.montanafruittrees.com\/products\/roxbury-russet-apple","provider":"Montana Fruit Trees","version":"1.0","type":"link"}