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Westcot Apricot (Spring 2027)
$49.99
Reliable shipping
Flexible returns
Pollination
Self-fertile
Bloom group
2 of 7 (Early)
Ripening
Will it finish before your first hard freeze?
Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)
Disease resistanceNot tested yet
- ? Bacterial canker : Unknown, no published data yet
- ? Bacterial spot : Unknown, no published data yet
- ? Brown rot : Unknown, no published data yet
- ? Cytospora canker : Unknown, no published data yet
- ? Shot hole : Unknown, no published data yet
Scored 1 to 5. Higher resists better, and ? means no published data yet.
See it on our apricot disease chart (opens in a new tab)
At a glance: Westcot Apricot is an apricot tree rated hardy to zone 2b in our ratings (winters to -45°F), self-fertile, so one tree can crop (bloom group 2 of 7, early for an apricot), and it ripens about Jul 26 to Aug 5 in Missoula (picked and dated at our place in Missoula).
| Hardy to | Zone 2b to 7. The b means the warmer half of zone 2 only (winters to -45°F). Our notes have it taking -50°F. We're listing it conservatively until we have more data. Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator. |
|---|---|
| Chill hours | About 600 hours (400 to 800). 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 | Self-Fertile. Bloom group 2 of 7 (early), very early spring here. Self-fertile, so a single tree will set fruit. Adding another early apricot such as Morden 604 or Debbie's Gold gives heavier crops. Nearby varieties that can boost the crop: Morden 604 Apricot, Montana Mango Apricot, Debbie's Gold Apricot, Manchurian Apricot (Bundle of 2) and 6 more. Apricot Pollination Map. |
| Ripens | About Jul 26 to Aug 5 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 | Manchurian: full size, about 15 to 20 ft tall unpruned. The hardiest apricot root there is. Our rootstock guide. |
| Good for | Fresh eating (8/10), pies and baking (7/10), jams and jellies (7/10), canning and freezing (7/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists. |
| Deer | Sometimes damaged by deer. |
| Compare it | Westcot vs Debbie's Gold vs Morden 604, side by side on hardiness, pollination, ripening and fruit. |
| Where it came from | Read about the Canadian prairie breeding stations and what else came out of it. |
| What you get | Bare root, 3-5 ft or 5-7 ft or 6-8 ft or 7-9 ft. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out. |
Overview
Westcot is another standout cold-hardy prairie variety from Manitoba, bred for tough northern climates. Like Morden 604, it’s a cross between ‘Scout’ and ‘McClure’, but was introduced later in 1982 by Agriculture Canada at Morden, MB.
Cold Hardiness & Climate Adaptation
Hardy to: -48°F (proven in Bemidji, MN). Zone: 2b (we're listing it conservatively at -45°F until we have more data). Bloom time is just before Debbie’s Gold. Second only to Sunrise (hardy to -50°F+) in terms of extreme cold resilience amongst named varieties (that we know of).
Self-Fertile & High-Yielding
Self-fertile, so no pollination partner is required, although greater yields may be obtained if planted with Debbie's Gold, Sungold, Morden 604, or some of the other Prairie Province apricots.
From Bob Purvis:
“Westcot is sweet (18° Brix), with yellow-orange skin, good for fresh eating and firm enough to can. Tree vigor is moderate, growth habit is irregular but can be trained with spreaders. Average production on two 9-year-old trees in SW Minnesota was 200 lb/tree in 2010.”
Ripens in mid-July in southern Minnesota. In Missoula, it ripens anywhere from last week of July to first week of August. In Homedale, it was ripe when we filmed our "Cold Climate Apricot Growing with Bob Purvis" on July 8th 2024.
Fruit Qualities
Flavor: Sweet, 18° Brix
Texture: Firm enough for canning
Skin color: Yellow-orange
Uses: Fresh eating, canning, and potentially drying
Tree Details
Rootstock: Grafted onto cold-hardy Manchurian apricot, which can reach up to 25 feet if left unpruned.
Questions we get about Westcot Apricot
Does Westcot Apricot need a pollenizer?
No. Westcot Apricot is self-fertile, so a single tree can set fruit. Self-fertile, so a single tree will set fruit. Adding another early apricot such as Morden 604 or Debbie's Gold gives heavier crops. Partners we carry include Morden 604 Apricot, Montana Mango Apricot, Debbie's Gold Apricot.
How cold hardy is Westcot Apricot?
We rate Westcot Apricot hardy to zone 2b, which means winters down to about -45°F. Our notes have it taking -50°F. We're listing it conservatively until we have more data. 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 Westcot Apricot need?
About 600 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 400 and 800. Nobody has published a chill figure for it, so that's our estimate from its relatives and origin. Montana winters cover its chill easily. The real risk is early bloom, so a spot that warms slowly in spring helps dodge frost. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.
When does Westcot Apricot ripen?
About Jul 26 to Aug 5 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 Westcot Apricot get?
We graft Westcot Apricot onto Manchurian (full size), which makes a tree roughly 15 to 20 ft tall if you never prune it.
What is Westcot Apricot good for?
Our top use scores for Westcot Apricot are fresh eating (8/10), pies and baking (7/10), jams and jellies (7/10), canning and freezing (7/10). Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.
Is Westcot Apricot disease resistant?
We don't know yet. Nobody has published solid disease data on Westcot Apricot for bacterial canker, bacterial spot, brown rot, cytospora canker and shot hole, so we list it as unknown instead of guessing. That doesn't mean it's weak. Plenty of the plants we grow have never been through formal disease trials. Our apricot disease resistance chart has every rating, the notes and the sources.
Will deer eat Westcot Apricot?
Sometimes. Deer browse Westcot Apricot now and then, so protect young plants where deer pressure is high.
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Pollination partners
Good partners for Westcot Apricot
Westcot Apricot is self-fertile, so one tree will fruit on its own. If you'd like a second apricot, these bloom at the same time and work well together.
Bloom group
2 of 7 (Early)
Pollination
Self-fertile
Pollen
Good pollenizer
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