Our Variety Assessment

Its strengths, growing requirements and the conditions in which it performs best.

Three Counties is particularly valuable for obtaining good-quality bittersweet fruit early in the cider season. Developed in England from cider and early dessert apple parentage, it crops regularly and produces fruity, richly coloured and structured juice. We recommend it for European regions with shorter autumns. The apples have limited keeping ability and should be pressed soon after harvesting.

Three Counties

Price range: 26,50 € through 59,75 €

Three Counties is an early-ripening bittersweet cider apple.

Pre-orders are open

No payment today. You are reserving your trees before the inventory in early August.

After inventory, we will confirm the available trees and send you a payment link.

Dispatch generally takes place from late November to February, depending on the weather and the progress of lifting the trees.

Choose your tree form

1 year old grafted tree – approx. 1–2 m

Half-standard – 1 to 1.5 m stem

Low-stem tree – approx. 60 cm stem

Standard tree – 1.8 m stem and over

Apple rootstock options

Bittenfelder – approx. 6 m mature height

EM9 – approx. 2.5 m mature height

M116 – approx. 4 m mature height

MM111 – approx. 4 m mature height

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Tree size guide

Tree Establishment Guarantee — We support you if your tree fails to establish. View the conditions

SKU: 4361 Categories: Apple trees, Cider apple trees

Description

Three Counties is a modern bittersweet cider variety. It has a passing resemblance to Dabinett (one of its parents) but ripens much earlier – usually in mid-September.

Variety characteristics

Variety origin

Old English cider variety from Somerset, probably known since the late 19th or early 20th century.

Origin

Period of origin

USDA zone

Flowering

Harvest period

Eating / keeping period

Use

Disease resistance

Self-fertility

Pollinator value

Ploidy

Origin and identity

Synonyms

Redstreak

Growth and adaptation

Vigour and habit

Vigorous, early bearing, heavy production, slight tendency to biennial bearing

Disease behaviour

Scab

Resistant

Pollination

Compatible pollinating varieties

For reliable fruit set, plant at least one variety with a compatible flowering period nearby. Flowering period: 2 - early.

Wickson Crab View this variety

Marseigna View this variety Muscadet de Dieppe View this variety

Domaines View this variety

Amere Nouvelle View this variety

Du Verger View this variety

Harvest calendar

Extend your harvest season

Discover varieties from the same category harvested just before, at the same time or just after.

At the same time

September 15-30

Armagnac View this variety

Baguette d’Hiver View this variety

Pommier à cidre Michelin (Normandie Blanc)

Michelin View this variety

Additional variety information for Three Counties is provided in partnership with Orange Pippin.