A : We can grow several varieties of apple here, but they will be different than your grocery store type. But the tree itself is beautiful and well worth the effort. Apples grown here require full sun, good air circulation, and a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5. Planting on hill tops is preferable to low lying areas because hill tops confer good air and surface water drainage. The recommended cultivars are ‘Anna’, ‘Dorsett Golden’ and ‘Tropic Sweet’. Most apple cultivars are not self-fruitful; thus more than one cultivar should be planted together for cross pollination. ‘Anna’ and ‘Dorsett Golden’ originated in Israel and the Bahamas, respectively. ‘Tropic Sweet’ is a new patented cultivar from the University of Florida breeding program. All three varieties serve as pollinaters to each other. Fruit ripens on these three varieties from late May through June. Tree bloom and fruit ripening are generally 2 to 3 weeks earlier in north central than in north Florida. All three cultivars have good keeping quality and will last up to six to eight weeks with refrigeration. For more information look up the University of Florida publication called, “Low Chill Apple Cultivars for North and North Central Florida” or check out the website: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg368

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