Spencer Apple Tree | Bare Root, Zone 3

A crate of freshly picked Spencer apples

Spencer Apple (Spring 2027)

$49.99

Reliable shipping

Flexible returns

Pollination Needs a partner

Bloom group 5 of 7 (Mid-Late)

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)

Disease resistanceNo strong resistance

Apple scab : Susceptible, 2 of 5
Cedar-apple rust : Unknown, no published data yet
Fire blight : Highly susceptible, 1 of 5
Powdery mildew : Unknown, no published data yet

Scored 1 to 5. Higher resists better, and ? means no published data yet.

See it on our apple disease chart (opens in a new tab)

At a glance: Spencer Apple is an apple tree rated hardy to zone 3 in our ratings (winters to -40°F), 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), and it ripens about Sep 13 to Sep 23 in Missoula (picked and dated at our place in Missoula).

Hardy to	Zone 3 to 8. A bare number means the whole of zone 3, colder half included (winters to -40°F). Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator.
Chill hours	About 950 hours (750 to 1,100). Our estimate. No published figure exists for this variety yet. Montana winters give it plenty. In milder climates, make sure your winters average at least this much. Check your chill hours or see our sources.
Pollination	Needs Cross-Pollination. Bloom group 5 of 7 (mid-late), late spring here. Plant a different apple or crabapple variety that blooms in groups 4 to 6. It has good pollen, so it can also pollenize other apples blooming at the same time. Good partners we carry: Black Oxford Apple, Honeycrisp Apple, Northern Spy Apple, Oriole Apple and 70 more. Apple Pollination Map.
Ripens	About Sep 13 to Sep 23 in Missoula (picked and dated off our own trees). Real years swing about a week either way. See the date for your town.
Rootstock and size	Spy 227: full size. A Northern Spy selection. Our rootstock guide.
Good for	Fresh eating (7/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists.
Deer	A deer favorite. Fence it or cage it.
What you get	Bare root, 2-4 ft or 4-6 ft. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out.

Overview

This is our second year growing Spencer, and we have yet to try the apple ourselves. However, we were excited to hear from Samantha at Old Blue Moon Orchard in Stevensville that Spencer is a crisp, sweet apple with a nice kick to it. A cross between McIntosh and Golden Delicious, it is likely hardy to around -40F. When the mother trees from which we collected cuttings had experienced -38F on 1/13/24, the trees suffered from no winter injury. They are likely hardier that -38F, although we don't have that data currently.

Ideal Growing Regions

Hardiness: Spencer should do well in areas like the Bitterroot Valley and the warmer valleys west of the Divide in Montana. Similar to McIntosh, Spencer may struggle in colder regions, particularly east of the Divide.

Ripening Time: Spencer ripens around the same time as McIntosh, typically the third weekend of September, depending on the year.

For Spring 2027, we have grafted Spencer onto Spy 227 full size rootstock. These are actually one year older as we bench grafted these in 2025, grew them out for a whole season in pots, and then field grew them in 2026. The rootstock (Spy 227) is going on its 4th year whereas the tops (Spencer) is going on its 3rd.

Questions we get about Spencer Apple

Does Spencer Apple need a pollenizer?

Yes. Spencer 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 4 to 6. It has good pollen, so it can also pollenize other apples blooming at the same time. Partners we carry include Black Oxford Apple, Honeycrisp Apple, Northern Spy Apple.

How cold hardy is Spencer Apple?

We rate Spencer 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.

How many chill hours does Spencer Apple need?

About 950 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 750 and 1,100. Nobody has published a chill figure for it, 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.

When does Spencer Apple ripen?

About Sep 13 to Sep 23 in Missoula, Montana (picked and dated off our own trees). Warmer places run earlier and cooler places later; our ripening map converts the date to your town.

How big does Spencer Apple get?

We graft Spencer Apple onto Spy 227 (full size).

What is Spencer Apple good for?

Our top use scores for Spencer Apple are fresh eating (7/10).

Is Spencer Apple disease resistant?

No. It's very prone to fire blight, and prone to apple scab. 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.

Will deer eat Spencer Apple?

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

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Pollination partners

Trees that will pollenize Spencer Apple

Spencer 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.

Bloom group 5 of 7 (Mid-Late)

Pollination Needs a partner

Pollen Good pollenizer

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