Granny Smith is usually available year-round in supermarkets, and most of us are familiar with the dense sharp acidic flavour - so why grow your own? Well, the flavour of home-grown examples can be more complex and interesting, particularly if you allow the apples to ripen fully on the tree - at which point the characteristic bright green skin is likely to take on a red flush that you won't see in shop-bought examples.
Granny Smith is a versatile apple, great for eating fresh of course, but also a good apple for sweet and savoury salads (since it does not go brown readily) and a good choice for apple pies - slices keep their shape when cooked. (For best cooking results, pick when slightly under-ripe).
It also keeps well - it is one of the best apples for home storage.
Next deliveries: December 2024 - February 2025
Let me know when Granny Smith apple trees are back in stock.
If you do not hear from us by March you can contact us to pre-order for next autumn.
Granny Smith requires a warm summer and a sunny autumn for the apples to fully ripen.
It is generally easy to grow, but it can lapse into biennial bearing if allowed to over-crop. Cropping is usually very good but the famous bright green color is only achieved in areas of warm days and nights. In cooler climates where autumn temperatures drop overnight Granny Smith can develop an attractive red flush.
One of the unusual features of Granny Smith is that the apples tend to grow behind the foliage, on the inside rather than the outside of the tree.
Granny Smith is a very good pollinator of other apple varieties, making it an excellent choice if you are establishing a small orchard in a warmer area.
Granny Smith was discovered by Maria Smith a housewife and grandmother from Australia, in the 1860s.
