Spartan apple trees

Spartan is a deep marroon-coloured apple with an excellent refreshing sweet flavour, often with a wine-like hint.

That flavour, and the crimson skin, are an easy clue that Spartan is related to the famous Canadian McIntosh apple - but much easier to grow.

Spartan ripens quite late in the season, usually around early October. The apples will remain on the tree over a 2-3 week period, which means you can pick a few at a time rather than have to deal with a glut. This is also the best way to enjoy them because although they keep fairly well, the flavour and crispness fade in storage.

Spartan is also a very good pollinator of other apples, producing large quantities of compatible pollen.