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  Our Fruit Collection
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Greenmantle Nursery
3010 Ettersburg Road
Garberville CA 95542
(707) 986-7504

 

The apple has always been Greenmantle's primary fruit focus. This obviously reflects the broad adaptation and distribution of such a fundamental fruit, as well as its long list of distinct varieties. It also derives from the apple's primacy and longevity in the local landscape. More than a century ago, our region was settled by an influx of Euro-American homesteaders who "proved" their claims in part by establishing orchards. Many survivors of these plantings still stand and produce fruit. And most of them are apple trees.






Old
abandoned
still extravagantly productive




A Wickson Crab in Etter Orchard, circa 1985
Here in the Mattole River watershed we are situated on the Western frontier of the apple's manifest destiny. The ubiquitous presence of the apple in the New World reflects the early dominance of British colonization. The apple tree thrives in Great Britain, and the British have long enjoyed a nearly obsessive love affair with the genus Malus. Ironically, most of the varieties they attemped to import into North America were not fully hardy here. It took the planting of tens of thousands of pips to create a new breed of American apple.

England's devotion to the apple took root and grew to huge proportions in the American soil. Many of the world's great varieties began as seedlings planted during the colonial period or shortly thereafter. New York and New England became centers of apple culture. The resulting varietal legacy includes Esopus Spitzenberg, Swaar, Northern Spy, Baldwin, Tompkins King. Roxbury Russet. Jonathan, Rhode Island Greening, and many more.

As the frontier was pushed westward, apple trees - both grafted varieties and unproven seedlings - moved with it. The story of John Chapman aka "Johnny Appleseed" is a national legend based on fact. Chapman's pioneer nurseries provided thousands of apple seedlings for settlers in the Ohio River Valley. Some of these ended up as rootstocks grafted over to established varieties brought from the eastern states. And many were left to produce nondescript fruit which was blended into hard cider and apple jack; these were the most popular beverages on the American frontier.

By the time Euro-American dominion established itself in Northern California (circa 1850), the roster of "domestic" apple varieties had become quite extensive. This formed the foundation for homestead orchard plantings here. A survey of the surviving trees reveals that the Mattole and Eel River Valleys of Humboldt County were well suited for growing the classic varieties of NewYork State, including Tompkins King, Esopus Spitzenberg, Jonathan, and Northern Spy. Southern apples like Arkansas Black, King David, and Winesap also flourish here.


Despite its wizened structure, this century old Tompkins King apple tree continues to bear dependable crops of fine fruit.

While California is not usually regarded as "apple country", all kinds of varieties seem well adapted to the Northwestern corner of the state. Our own experience confirms this remarkable felicity. Notoriously tempermental English varieties like Cox Orange Pippin and Pitmaston Pineapple bear first-rate fruit next to long-season Japanese varieties like Fuji and Mutsu. Apples from all over North America and the world seem at home here in the coastal mountains of Humboldt County.


Hyde King Apple -
Though it originated in the Midwest circa 1880, this excellent winter-keeper seemed to be extinct except in our local homestead orchards. It deserves to be rediscovered by orchardists everywhere.

MASTER LIST OF APPLE VARIETIES

PLEASE NOTE: We are not able to maintain an inventory of trees for sale representing our entire apple collection (presentlty 73 varieties). Instead, we offer custom-propagated benchgrafts for these varieties...Availability may vary from year to year. Quantities - and rootstock options - are necessarily limited.

Our apple benchgrafts are currently propagated with these rootstock options : MARK , MM111, & Domestic Apple Seedling.

Sorry - but we do NOT sell scionwood...

CODE: EHC - Euopean Hard Cider      AHC - American Hard Cider

The apple portraits are reproduced from Apples of New York - S.A. Beach (1905). All the varieties pictured , except Roxbury Russet, were collected in old homestead orchards in Southern Humboldt orchards..........

WE NO LONGER OFFER.VARIETIES MARKED BY *

Alaska
Almata
Amberoso™  (Etter 27-10)
Ananas Reinette
,,,,(syn. Reinette Ananas) ..........................
Ashmead's Kernel...................................... Atalanta's Gold™ (Etter 22-17).........................Aashmead.....

 

 

Alexander *

 

Blush Rosette™  (Etter 14-1).
Bramley's Seedling
Brown Snout -EHC


Baldwin *

 

 

 

 

Calville Blanc d’Hiver
... (syn. White Winter Calville)
(Carolina) Red June .................
Christmas Pink ®   (Etter  12-9)
Court Pendu Plat
Cox Orange Pippin
Crimson Gold

 

 

 

(Carolina) Red June

 


D’Arcy Spice
Dapple ™  (Etter 24-18)

 

Duchess of Oldenburg *

Eden ™ (Etter 30-32)
Egremont Russet
(Esopus) Spitzenberg
Etter’s Gold

 

 

Fall Pippin
Fameuse  (syn. Snow) ....................... Foxwhelp - EHC........

Freiherr von Berlepsch

 

Esopus Spitzenberg

Fall Pippin



Golden Russet

Gravenstein, Red
Grenadine ®  (Etter 7-13)

 

Golden Russet

Gravenstein


Hauer Pippin
Herefordshire Redstreak - EHC ......
Honey Sweet Cider -AHC .... ....... Hudson’s Golden Gem
Humboldt Crab
Hyde King

 

Hyde King

Jade ™  (Etter 26-5)
Jonwin

 

Kandil Sinap
Katharine
King Solomon (syn. Rainier)


 

Lady Apple 
... (syn. Pomme d’Api)
Lamb Abbey Pearmain
Laxton Superb
Liberty
Liveland Raspberrry

 

 

Jonathan *

 

Keswick Codlin *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Margil .......................................... Medaille d'Or - EHC
Muscat de Venus ™  (Etter 31-2)

 

 

 

Niedzwetzkyana
... (syn. Redvein Crab)
Northern Spy
Northfield Beauty

Old Nonpareil
Opalescent
Orleans Reinette

 

Pink Parfait ®  (Etter 7-9)
Pink Pearl
Pink Pearmain ®  (Etter 14-9)
Pitmaston Pineapple
Pomme Gris – EHC



Northern Spy

 

Ribston Pippin
Roxbury Russet
Rubaiyat ®  (Etter 8-11)


Sierra Beauty
Skinner’s Seedling............................ . Sweet Sixteen

 

Red Astrachan *

Roxbury Russet


Thornberry ®  (Etter 16-32)
Tompkins King


Vixen™  (Etter 34-3)

 

 

Tompkins King

 

 

 


Waltana
Wealthy
White Astrachan
White Winter Pearmain
Wickson Crab
Winesap

 

Winesap

Yellow Newtown Pippin *

 

Yellow Bellflower *

 

 

 

 

 

Why do we need so many kinds of apples? Because there are so many folks. A person has a right to gratify his legitimate tastes. If he wants twenty or forty kinds of apples for his personal use, running from Early Harvest to Roxbury Russet, he should be accorded the privilege. Some place should be provided where he may obtain trees or scions. There is merit in variety itself. It provides more points of contact with life, and leads away from unifromity and monotony."

  - Liberty Hyde Bailey,  The Apple Tree 1922 

 


Liberty Hyde Bailey (1858-1954)

 

 

 


 

 


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All original text and images © Greenmantle Nursery 2005 -2021