Apple ‘Jonagold’

‘Jonagold’ is one of the most reliable modern apples, a cross between Golden Delicious and Jonathan bred in New York in the 1940s. Fruits are large, golden-yellow flushed with orange-red stripes, with crisp firm flesh and a balanced sweet-sharp flavour that suits eating fresh, baking, juicing or cider-making.

Heavy and dependable cropper, ripening in October. Note that ‘Jonagold’ is a triploid variety, so it’s a poor pollinator itself and needs two other apples flowering around the same time to set a good crop.

Plant in full sun in fertile, well-drained soil. Winter-prune for a good framework, and summer-prune trained forms. Disease-resistant on modern rootstocks and tolerant of UK climate.

A cracker of an orchard apple for a family garden, kitchen garden, or as part of a small mixed orchard.