One of the most popular apple varieties, and a good mid-season variety for the garden in many areas. The sweet flavour of ripe Gala apples eaten straight from the tree is quite a surprise compared to supermarket examples.
Another surprise is the fruit size, which is likely to be quite a bit larger than the small snack-size apples that are most usually sold in the shops. When home-grown (and well-thinned) Gala apples will get to a nice size, much more reminscent of its parent Kidd's Orange Red.
Gala is also a good variety for juicing, as you might expect the flavour is rich and sweet, useful for mixing with other sharper varieties.
Gala is one of the most commercially important of all apple varieties, and as a result a large number of Gala "sports" exist. These are naturally occuring mutations which are mostly indistinguishable from the original in terms of flavour but may have a deeper coloration or more pronounced flush to the skin. Royal Gala is probably the best known. We occasionally offer some of these newer forms but most of our trees are the original Gala, which in our opinion has more natural skin hues.
All pot-grown trees are suitable for planting out in the garden, some are suitable for growing in containers.
Call us on 01759 392007 or fill in our contact form.
Order now for delivery from week commencing 4th November for pot grown trees or December for bare-root or mixed tree orders.
Delivery for a single tree starts at £9.95, it is calculated based on your postcode.
Gala is widely grown on a commercial basis in South Africa, Chile, New Zealand, and France. One of its unique characteristics is that Gala will produce good-quality apples across an unusually wide range of climates from cool temperate to hot.
Gala can be grown successfully in the south, central, and east of the UK, and crops well.
However Gala is susceptible to fungal infections. If you have a dry climate this is not usually such a problem - and the flavour of home-grown ripe Gala apples is worth a bit of effort - but it is not a good choice for mild or wet climates.
Most sports of Gala have some degree of self-fertility - but will set much better crops if there is a nearby pollination partner.
Gala was developed by New Zealand apple enthusiast J.H. Kidd from one of his earlier successes, Kidd's Orange Red, which he crossed with Golden Delicious. Through this parentage Gala unites three of the world's most influential apple varieties, Cox's Orange Pippin, Delicious, and Golden Delicious. The Kidd's Orange Red parentage is more obvious in Gala than the Golden Delicious side. More surprisingly, the influence of Delicious (one of the parent's of Kidd's Orange Red) comes through very strongly in Gala, more so than in Kidd's Orange Red - the deep red colour, sweet flavour, and large upright shape are very reminscent of Delicious.
Unlike many garden centres and online retailers, the vast majority of our fruit trees are grown in the UK. Find out more.
In addition, all our trees are certified under the Plant Healthy scheme, supervised by the Plant Health Alliance.
Other stakeholders include Defra and the RHS. The scheme aims to improve UK biosecurity by setting standards
for all growers and retailers involved in selling plants in the UK.
Find out more
When you buy your fruit tree from Orange Pippin Fruit Trees we guarantee it for the first season in your garden whilst it gets established. If it doesn't grow successfully, we'll either replace it the following season or offer a refund - subject to some conditions. Find out more.
This variety description was researched and written by Orange Pippin staff. Last checked: 2024.