The rock-star, cold-hardy apple from Minnesota.
Nova Spy Apple on G.890 (Spring 2024)
A disease-resistant Northern Spy cross. Also known as Novaspy.
Nova Spy is a hardy, moderately vigorous tree, and it is more precocious than Northern Spy. It is also much less disease susceptible, with good fireblight resistance and resistance to some, but not all, strains of scab. This is a great apple for Northern Spy fans who want an easier apple without the wait. Care should be taken when pruning, as this tree is a partial tip bearer.
The apple is large, red, crisp, and juicy. Its parentage includes Golden Delicious and Northern Spy, and it has the expected sweetness of Golden Delicious, but this is countered by the sharp tang of Northern Spy. This sweet-tart balance has hints of vanilla. Nova Spy stores well and is an excellent processing apple.
Nova Spy is a cross between Nova EasyGro x 44411-1 (Northern Spy x Golden Delicious). It was developed in Nova Scotia and released in 1986.
The Fruit
Fruit Type
Category: Apple
Subcategory:
Disease-Resistant, Cold-Hardy
Fruit Uses & Storage
Uses: fresh eating, baking, storage, sauce
Storage duration: three plus months (approximate, depending on storage conditions)
Fruit Appearance
Skin color: red
Flesh color: cream
Fruit Origins
Parentage: Nova EasyGro x 44411-1
Origin: Nova Scotia
Introduced in: 1986
Introduced by: A. D. Crowe, Agriculture Canada Research Station
The Environment
Calendar & Geography
USDA zones: 4 - 7
Chill hours: 1000
Ripening date: Oct 20 (approximate, in New York State) + 35 days after McIntosh
Tree Height & Spacing
glossary
Rootstock: G.890 Rootstock
Rootstock size class: Half-Standard (60% of Standard)
Tree spacing (natural spread of tree): 18'
Good for wildlife planting? N
Diseases & Pests
glossary
Apple Scab: Resistant
Fireblight: Very Resistant
Pollination
Pollination Factors
glossary
Bloom group: 3
Is it self-fertile? N
Is it fertile? Y
Ploidy: Diploid
Rootstock size class:
Half-Standard (60% of Standard)
Pollination Partners
This table shows the first few results from a full search for pollenizers of Nova Spy Apple on G.890. Please see our Pollenizer Search to run other queries and read how the application uses various factors. Also read more about fruit tree pollination.
See all pollination matches for Nova Spy Apple on G.890
Featured Products
A few things we're loving right now...
A late-blooming, extremely cold-hardy, freestone peach.
A bittersharp English cider variety.
A sweet-tart Morello-type cherry from Hungary.