Jumbo apple trees

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• Picking season: Late
• Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
• Flowering group: 3

A dual-purpose apple, named for the exceptionally large size of its fruits.

Jumbo apple trees for sale

Jumbo is a modern dual-purpose apple, named for the exceptional size of its fruits. It is not unusual to get apples weighing more than 400g (or up to 1lb), which is about three times larger than most supermarket dessert apples.

As a cooker, Jumbo is sweeter than most of the mainstream English culinary varieties, so does not usually need sugar added. It also keeps its shape when cooked. The apples store well, easily keeping for 3 months in a fridge. Whereas most cookers are simply large and green, Jumbo is very attractive, like a modern bi-coloured eating apple, with an extensive scarlet flush covering a yellow background.

Jumbo has a good strong flavour which is certainly sweet enought for eating fresh, although the apples are probably too big for one person to manage!

How to grow

As might be guessed from the size of its apples, Jumbo is a triploid variety. That means it is not self-fertile and will not pollinate other apple varieties - but also that it is a big, hardy, vigorous-growing tree that can shake off diseases and problems.

Advice on fruit tree pollination.

History

Jumbo was developed by one of the most successful English apple breeders of recent times, Hugh Ermen, and released in 2000. It is a cross between the popular English variety Charles Ross, and the well-regarded American variety Jonathan.

Jumbo characteristics