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  • Our trees are organic

Characteristics of the tree

Height at maturity
7 meters (23 feet)
Spacing
9 meters (30 feet)
Soil
Well drained
Sun / shade
Full sun
Flowering
mid-May
Harvest
Late September to early-October
Average fruit weight
100-150g
Fruit color
Bright red over yellow-green background
Years to bear
5
Self-sterile
Latin name
Malus sp. Nova Easygro
Average diameter of fruit
70-75mm (2-3 inches)
Brix
15
Organic

Nova Easygro is a sweet and crispy all-purpose apple. It boasts a well-rounded, traditional apple flavour, and has very good storage capabilities. Bred in Nova Scotia, the apple tree is also notable for its disease resistance.

Height at maturity
7 meters (23 feet)
Spacing
9 meters (30 feet)
Soil
Well drained
Sun / shade
Full sun
Flowering
mid-May
Harvest
Late September to early-October
Average fruit weight
100-150g
Fruit color
Bright red over yellow-green background
Years to bear
5
Self-sterile
Latin name
Malus sp. Nova Easygro
Average diameter of fruit
70-75mm (2-3 inches)
Brix
15
Organic

Nova Easygro is a medium to large apple. The skin is yellow-green complemented by a dull red blush over most of its surface, and is fine and thin in texture. The flesh is snow-white with a yellowish tinge and a yellow core; crisp, crunchy and mildly juicy. This apple is similar in flavour to Cortland and has also been compared to Ambrosia: sweet balanced perfectly with a little tartness. It is an ‘appley’ apple in the best sense. Some people also say it tastes like high-quality apple juice. It is one of our favourite apples for fresh eating but would also make fantastic juice. It measures 15 Brix. It is ready for harvest in late September or early October, and stores for up to 6 months. Its flavour and texture will both improve during the first four months in storage, and the apple will be at its best around late December.

Nova Easygro is a moderately vigorous and spreading apple tree. It is a reliable annual producer and gives solid yields. It shows a strong resistance to scab, powdery mildew and cedar apple rust, a moderate resistance to fire blight, but some susceptibility to quince rust. The tree is hardy to zone 3. Note that Nova EasyGro is self-sterile, which means it will need to be planted near another variety of apple tree in order to produce fruit.

Nova Easygro was developed from a cross made in 1956 between Spartan and experimental apple PRI 565 (Ill. 5 (Fanny x Jefferies) x 27-435 (Wealthy x R1274o-7A)). It was introduced by the Canadian Department Agricultural Research Station in Kentville, Nova Scotia in 1971.

The illustration shows different stages of our apple trees growth up until the age of 20 years (as one rarely plans a landscaping arrangement with a longer time period in mind). At 100 years old, the apple tree will be even larger than shown here – it can reach 7 m in height and spread over 9m – while the house might no longer exist!

You should note that this illustration is meant only to give a general indication of what you can expect, and the growth of your tree might look somewhat different. The development of a tree depends on the soil type, irrigation, fertilisation and climatic conditions. What we show here is based on our observation of observations of the growth of apple trees in zone 4, in rather poor soil. In zone 2, growth will probably be slower, while in a rich soil it would be faster.

Growth of an apple tree in Canada

All our apple trees are sold bare-root, without pots. They have been cultivated directly in our soil. Bare-root trees must be taken out of the ground and shipped during their period of dormancy, which is why we only ship trees in the spring. A big advantage with these kinds of trees, is that they take up very little space, and can therefore be easily shipped by mail all over Canada! 

This photograph shows a 2-3-foot apple tree, just like one that you might receive. Depending on the height you choose at the time of purchase, the tree might be a little smaller (1-2 feet) or somewhat taller (3-5 feet.)

All our apple trees are grafted on standard-sized rootstock, which we grow ourselves at the nursery. Trees that are grafted on standard-sized rootstock will become full-sized apple trees (as opposed to dwarf, or semi-dwarf.) While the life expectancy of a dwarf apple tree is only about 20 years, full-sized apple trees such as those we propagate have a lifespan of around 100 years. We believe it is of the utmost importance to plant for future generations, which is one of the main reasons we prefer these kinds of trees.

Besides this, standard-sized apple trees also have many other qualities that set them above dwarf and semi-dwarf trees in our view. For example, their deep and well-developed root systems allow them to draw water from deep underground during periods of droughts. They are more vigorous and resilient, which in turn also makes them more disease-resistant. They are very hardy, and last but not least, much more productive! 

To learn more about grafting and the role of rootstocks, see our article here!

Grafting on full-size rootstocks