Very cold hardy, this tree is vigorous and crops reliably. The juvenile tree is upright, but it will develop a round-spreading habit in maturity. It is mildly susceptible to fireblight and scab, but resistant to cedar-apple rust.

Prairie Spy is a handsome apple that's great for fresh eating or baking, holding its form well in pies and storing well through winter. It is a large, attractive apple with yellow skin that is streaked red and speckled with pretty white lenticels. The creamy white flesh is firm and dense with an excellent, well-balanced flavor. Its parentage was uncertain for a long time, it was assumed that it was a Northern Spy progeny. DNA testing has identified Wealthy and Northwest Greening as the parents to Prairie Spy.

Prairie Spy was one of the first apples to come out of the University of Minnesota breeding program. Selected in 1923 and released in 1940, this apple was bred specifically for cold hardiness.