Hi all,
do normal stores like co-op, aldi, migros regularly sell green apple crunchy and sweet (not sour)? if so, what are they called, pls?
TIA!
Granny Smith?
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I think the green ones from South Africa are called Granny Smith?
I see bossybaby thinks so too. 
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will try one first âŠ
Also Greenstar, I think. I am used to Granny Smith from the US, but I guess it makes sense they come from S. Africa as well.
Greenstar is a cross between a Granny Smith and another apple variety and is very similar to Granny Smith in taste and properties.
The advantage is has over a Granny is that it doesnât discolour when cut so is very popular with chefs.
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At this time of year I suggest to go for local apples, the harvest typically starts mid-august. Gravensteiner are among the earliest, theyâre sweet and very aromatic (and my absolute favorite).
I agree but next month.
Buying apples from here now would be stored apples (LagerĂ€pfel) and as itâs just before the new season one can have an âavocado-from-coop experienceâ. Not visible from outside, no bad intention of the seller. But Iâve had that and no longer buy apples between June and end of August.
Easy as there is so much other fruit on offer during that time.
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Our ranch is situated off the Gravenstein Highway. They used to be lovely apple orchards, but now are all given to vines.
Another early variety is Boskoop which is a great cooking apple and makes great Apple crumble.
Coop and Landi and farm shops sell these.
Granny Smiths originated in Australia and are grown all over the world. But theyâre not usually sweet, more on the acidic, i.e. sour, side.
My absolute favourite eating apples are Coxâs orange but you can only get them during a very short time frame here.
Gravenstein apples are triploid and cannot pollinate other apples, nor can they set fruit well with their own pollen. They require two other compatible apple varieties nearby to achieve good pollination and fruit set.
They are a real b*tch to grow, we have had one in the back yard for over 15 years and, in total over that time, may have harvested 20 apples. Even fewer if you donât include the ones the bugs got.
We decapitated it last fall and, as it is a good rootstock without the problems mentioned above, have grafted six other varieties. A mix of early, mid and late season producers. Of the 12 grafts 8 have taken. Hoping for fruit in 3 or 4 years.
I planted a James Grieve a few years ago - itâs an old English apple created from cross-pollination of a Coxâs Orange and Pottâs Seedling.
Unfortunately a severe hailstorm stripped it of a lot of bark a few years ago and itâs taken some time to recover.
It also needs another type of apple tree to pollinate.
Really nice apples for eating and cooking and nothing like you would get in a supermarket as they bruise easily.
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The past years Braeburn are my favorites.
James Grieve are fantastic! 20 years on my tree still produces the best tasting apples. Sweet and tart at the same time. A perfect eating and baking apple.
My favorite thing is to dry the apples. Dunk 'em in cold lemon water, stick 'em in the dryer, done. Just finished the last of 2024âs crop, eagerly awaing 2025âs harvest. That is, if summer ever returnsâŠ
I also have an Aiwa, but the apples are not as good. They are fine for baking or making apple sauce if you are using spice in the recipe, but the taste of the apples themselves canât hold a candle to the James Grieve. I wish I hadnât listened to the garden center âexpert.â It was recommended as a JG pollinator, but on further research seems to be the wrong group. Worse, the apples themselves are sort of âmehâ.
I assume the James Grieve is being pollinated by the trees in the farm field behind us. I worry, though, that the farmer might cut them down one dayâŠ
Do any of you have suggestions for a James Grieve pollinator that also produces really great tasting apples and is appropriate for higher elevations?
And back to green apples - my latest experiment is a Granny Smith. Might be a mistake, not sure if it will thrive in our microclimate. But I couldnât pass up the tiny tree I stumbled upon at Landi, as we never get Granny Smith in our grocery stores and I love a very tart apple. Hoping these are the apples I remember from my childhood. The tree is too young to produce, so fingers crossedâŠ
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No. Sorry. We have another apple tree but Iâm also not sure whether itâs serving as the pollinator as we too have many orchards around us.
I ought to identify it. The apples are small, red-skinned with a light flesh colour.
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From Perplexity.
James Grieve is a partially self-fertile apple tree in pollination group 3 (sometimes listed as group 2 or C, depending on source), but it will produce heavier crops with a compatible pollination partner. Good pollinators for James Grieve include apple varieties from pollination groups 2, 3, and 4 (or B, C, D in alternative groupings)[1][7][9].
Recommended pollinators include:
- Alkmene (group 2)
- Beauty of Bath (group 2)
- Arthur Turner (group 3)
- Bountiful (group 3)
- Charles Ross (group 3)
- Discovery (group 3)
- Braeburn (group 4)
- Devonshire Quarrenden (group 2)
- Court of Wick (group 3)
- Egremont Russet (group 2)
- Katy (group 2/3)[1][4][7][9]
Crab apple varieties such as Golden Hornet and John Downie are also excellent pollinators for all apples, including James Grieve[2][9].
For best results, plant James Grieve near one or more of these varieties to ensure cross-pollination and maximize fruit production. Avoid relying on partially compatible varieties such as some strains of Coxâs Orange Pippin, which might not be fully effective with James Grieve[5].
James Grieve itself is also considered a good pollinator for other apple varieties due to its reliable pollen even in cooler conditions[1][10].
Sources
[1] Independent assessment of apple tree James Grieve Independent assessment of apple tree James Grieve
[2] Malus domestica James Grieve - Apple Trees - Buckingham Nurseries Apple, James Grieve, Malus domestica James Grieve (Apple Trees) > Apple Trees > Buckingham Nurseries Ltd
[3] [PDF] Flowering times of apples RHS Pollination Groups https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/pdfs/applepollinationgroups.pdf
[4] Pollination partners for James Grieve - Keepers Nursery Pollination partners for James Grieve
[5] Suitable pollinating varieties - NIAB Suitable pollinating varieties | NIAB
[6] Malus domestica âJames Grieveâ (D) - RHS Malus domestica 'James Grieve' (D) | apple 'James Grieve' Fruit Edible/RHS
[7] James Grieve Apple Trees for Sale | Ashridge Ashridge | Your Online Garden Centre for Great Plants & Advice
[8] Pollination partners for Red James Grieve - Keepers Nursery Pollination partners for Red James Grieve
[9] Apple Tree Pollination Groups Chart UK | Ashridge Blog Apple Tree Pollination Groups Chart UK | Ashridge Blog
[10] Pollination of apple trees and other fruit trees Pollination of apple trees and other fruit trees
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We always had James Grieve at home when I was growing up as we had a couple of trees in the garden, they were delicious.
I havenât had one for years.
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Thanks, Bowlie!
You got me to thinking about what I can find in Switzerland, so I took a quick peek at Haeberli Beerenâs website, a producer Iâve had good luck with for other fruit. Selecting first for Höhenlage, then pollinator for James Grieve, it comes up with Rubinola, Pilot, and Piros. Of those , Rubinola and Piros can use James Grieve as a pollinator.
Granted, these are just varieties from one producer in Switzerland. Their chart doesnât take into account different varieties from other producers, so a limited search.
Have any of you tasted a Rubinola or a Piros? Or even seen one in a grocery store? I donât want to make the mistake I made with my Aiwa, so a taste test seems to be in order.
Then there is the space issue. In my tiny garden, adding a fourth apple would mean cutting down something else. HmmmâŠ