Franklin Apple on G.969 (Spring 2025)
An outstanding new cider apple, sweet enough for fresh eating, and disease resistant. Also known as Franklin Cider Apple.
Bill Mayo found this tree growing as a chance seedling on his small farm in Franklin, Vermont in 2008. On discovering that the juice produced an excellent sweet cider, he sent samples of the fruit to hard cider makers. One of the recipients, Terrence Bradshaw, performed an analysis of the juice and classed it as bittersharp. He was very impressed by its composition, comparing it to Kingston Black, one of the most beloved traditional cider varieties. It was released commercially in 2017.
The fruit is small-medium, heavily russeted over a greenish background with some blushing. The flesh is crisp and white with a balanced sweetness, yielding a juice high in both sugar (17.5-19 Brix) and tannins. Franklin is receiving praise from growers and brewers throughout the cider world.
The Fruit
Fruit Type
Category: Apple
Subcategory:
Cider, Disease-Resistant, Cold-Hardy
Fruit Uses & Storage
Uses: fresh eating, cider
Cider classification: bittersharp
Storage duration: less than one month (approximate, depending on storage conditions)
Fruit Appearance
Skin color: russeted
Flesh color: white
Fruit Origins
Parentage: chance seedling
Origin: Franklin, Vermont
Introduced in: 2017
Introduced by: Bill Mayo
The Environment
Calendar & Geography
USDA zones: 3 - 7
Chill hours: Not yet determined
Ripening date: Oct 13 (approximate, in New York State) + 28 days after McIntosh
Tree Height & Spacing
glossary
Rootstock: G.969 Rootstock
Rootstock size class: Semi-Dwarf (45% of Standard)
Tree spacing (natural spread of tree): 12'
Good for wildlife planting? Y
Diseases & Pests
glossary
Apple Scab: Resistant
Cedar-Apple Rust: Resistant
Fireblight: Resistant
Pollination
Pollination Factors
glossary
Bloom group: 4
Is it self-fertile? N
Is it fertile? Y
Ploidy: Diploid
Rootstock size class:
Semi-Dwarf (45% of Standard)
Pollination Partners
This table shows the first few results from a full search for pollenizers of Franklin Apple on G.969. Please see our Pollenizer Search to run other queries and read how the application uses various factors. Also read more about fruit tree pollination.