Spencer Apple

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.