Autumn 2024 planting seasonPre-order now for EU delivery December 2024 - March 2025

GoldRush apple trees

Malus domestica
GoldRush
GoldRush is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators
  • Picking season: Very late
  • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
  • Flowering group: 4

GoldRush is a modern disease-resistant apple, equally suitable for commercial growers or gardeners and home orchardists. It is widely recognised as one of the best of all modern apples, both in terms of its flavour and its growth characteristics. It makes a fine addition to any backyard orchard.

Its parentage is complex, but it is derived from Golden Delicious and it inherits that variety's excellent crisp texture, sweetness, and long storage capability.

The flavour when freshly-picked is pronounced and distinctly sharper than Golden Delicious, but it sweetens in storage and it has a good balance of sweet and sharp flavours.

The trees grow with a compact and neat habit, and are usually untroubled by diseases, making it an excellent choice for a no-spray orchard. Feedback from customers and posts in online orchard forums suggest GoldRush really does have excellent disease-resistance.

In the USA, where it originates, GoldRush has become popular for hard cider production - it is a juicy apple, and the juice is also very characterful, with an intense rich tangy sweetness which makes a great addition to cider blends. It is a good variety for sweet cider too.

Bio / Organic  fruit trees

GoldRush organic apple trees for sale

  • 11 yeartree on M9 rootstock23.25€
    Small tree (1.5m-2.5m after 10 years) Bare-root
  • 21 yeartree on M116 rootstock23.25€
    Medium tree (2m-3.5m after 10 years) Bare-root
  • 31 yeartree on MM111 rootstock23.25€
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years) Bare-root
EU delivery countries
  • Austria
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  • Netherlands
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Growing and Training

GoldRush has a tendency to over-crop which if not checked can lead to biennial bearing as the tree gets older. However this is easily remedied by thinning the crop in late spring.

It is very resistant to scab, and fairly resistant to fireblight. However it is susceptible to rust infections and may require a basic fungicide if this is an issue in your area.

GoldRush blossoms quite late, and therefore needs another late-flowering variety nearby for pollination.

It also ripens late, and it needs a long growing season - typically late October or November. It is therefore very suitable for southern and central Europe, but in cooler climates it may only be possible to get the apples to ripen if the tree is grown against a south-facing wall.


History

GoldRush was developed from a joint breeding program between the Indiana, Illinois and New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Stations in the 1990s.


GoldRush characteristics

  • Gardening skillBeginner
  • Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
  • Flowering group4
  • Disease resistanceGood
  • Picking seasonVery late
  • Season of use3 months or more - Will store for 6 months in domestic fridge
  • Food usesEating freshCulinaryHard cider
  • Cold hardiness (USDA)Zone 5 (-29C)
  • Summer average maximum temperaturesCool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)Warm (25-30C / 76-85F)Hot (>30C / 86F)
  • Country of originUnited States
  • Period of origin1950 - 1999
  • Fruit colourYellow / Orange

Similar varieties

  • See also Cabarette
    Cabarette
    A traditional very-late season dessert apple, found in northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
  • See also GoldRush
    GoldRush
    A modern disease-resistant apple, like Golden Delicious but with a better tart/sweet balance. Good for eating fresh and juicing / cider.
  • See also Mutsu
    Mutsu
    Mutsu is a high quality dual-purpose apple from Japan, with a good flavour for eating fresh, and also sharp enough for cooking.
  • See also Queen Cox
    Queen Cox
    A modern self-fertile form of the renowned Cox's Orange Pippin, with arguably even better flavour.

This variety description was researched and written by Orange Pippin staff. Last checked: 2024.