Yellow Transparent Apple Seedling (Bundle of 10)

Overview

Yellow Transparent was imported from Russia in 1870 to provide the American frontier with a cold-hardy, reliable apple—especially in regions where Midwestern apples fell short. These trees are tough as nails, known for thriving in droughty, poor soils and brutally cold winters. They've been feeding homesteaders in Montana and the West for over 150 years with dependable crops of disease-resistant summer apples.

Flavor & Culinary Use

While not prized for long storage (it goes mealy quickly, like many summer apples), Yellow Transparent excels as a culinary variety:

Apple sauce superstar: In 2024, Elizabeth made dozens of jars from a single tree—everyone raved.

Flavor off the tree (Luke’s 2024 tasting notes):

“Very perfumy. Perhaps second only to McIntosh for its floral aroma. Tart but actually quite pleasant. Very floral tasting, matching the aroma. Lovely flavor overall.”

Harvest & Heritage

Ripens mid-August in Missoula (2024 harvest was on August 14).

Not the earliest summer apple, but still very early.

According to the Western Ag Research Center in Corvallis, MT:

“Commonly grown by homesteaders and listed in 1901 First District reports (Dawson, Carbon, Rosebud, Yellowstone, Sweet Grass). Old-timers just call it ‘Transparent.’ Heritage trees still exist across Montana.”

Cold Hardiness

Hardy to -50F or colder—possibly even -60F.

A true Zone 2 apple, and even protected zone 1 sites. A proven performer in even Montana’s harshest climates.

Seedlings

With all of that said, these are all seedlings from a well established and consistently bearing mother tree. Since these seedlings are open pollinated, it is obviously known that Yellow Transparent is one of the pollen parents, but in terms of the other parent, it could be anyone's guess. There are quite a few old McIntosh's in the area, but there are also some Jonamac, Cortland, Zestar!, and others. What is likely is that the other unknown pollen parent came from one of these since the mother Yellow Transparent is situated within an orchard of exclusively named, cultivated varieties. Whether the seedlings become apple trees that produce exceptional fruit is a roll of the dice. But since Yellow Transparent is extremely hardy and the fruit comes on in the summer, and the trees are surrounded by all fairly hardy trees (there's also a Northwest Greening right next to the mother tree which is hardy to -40F) these seedlings would likely become hardy trees that will produce apples that can ripen in a short growing season. As such, these are for extreme cold climates with short growing seasons. Good luck!