This is a vigorous, very productive tree that needs to be thinned to maintain annual bearing. It is partially self-fertile, but cropping will be improved by a pollenizer. Granny Smith is susceptible to fireblight, powdery mildew, and scab, but resistant to cedar-apple rust and alternaria. It is also a tip-bearer, so care should be taken when pruning. Although the tree may do well in zone 5, the fruit requires a long ripening season, and we recommend zone 6 or higher.

Granny Smith is large, glossy, thick skinned, and very green. The flesh is firm, crunchy, and quite juicy. The flavor, as Rowan Jacobsen puts it in Apples of Uncommon Character is a "shriek of acid and chlorophyll." When allowed to fully ripen, this apple does acquire some sweetness and a beautiful pink blush, becoming a "Champagne Granny," but this is rarely the case with commercially produced Granny Smiths. In any case, the apple has outstanding storage potential; it will stay firm for over three months in regular refrigeration, and it is an excellent apple for baking and sauce.

Granny Smith was discovered growing as a seedling in New South Wales, Australia by the 68-year-old Maria Ann Smith. It grew in a spot where the old lady had previously discarded some French crabapples, and it is assumed to have been a seedling of these. The tree was already fruiting by 1868, and since then it has enjoyed commercial success and has quietly become a cultural icon. In 1966, a Granny Smith was pictured in the work of the French surrealist painter René Magritte, Le Jeu de Morre, which was gifted to Paul McCartney of the Beatles by his friend Robert Fraser. This artwork later served as inspiration for the Beatles' famous Apple Corps logo. In 2007, after a protracted legal battle over trademark violations, rights to this Beatles logo were acquired by Apple Computers. This is quite the rags-to-riches story for Granny: born in a midden to become coveted by one of the world's most powerful corporations.