Review: 'Jonafree' Apple

When my kids asked to grow apples in the back yard, I didn't want to spend time spraying trees and fussing over the fruits. I chose Jonafree and another apple, Goldrush, for their disease resistance. Jonafree has produced good yields and lived up to its low-maintenance reputation.

After five years, my semi-dwarf tree has grown to be about 10 or 12 feet tall. It produces red fruits in late September or early October. In the spring, my Jonafree apple tree is covered with blossoms just before the leaves emerge.

The fruits the Jonafree apple tree produces are about 2 to 4 inches across, round, and red. They look very much like the Jonathan apples found in stores and farmers' markets, which is not surprising as the tree was bred to be a disease-resistant Jonathan apple. The flesh of the fruit is a pale, creamy color. When ripe, the apples are fairly sweet and crisp, with a strong apple flavor. When stored more than a few weeks, the fruits do begin to shrivel. Jonafree is classified as a "dessert apple."

Jonafree apple trees have field immunity to apple scab and are only slightly susceptible to apple mildew.

For best yields, a second tree of another variety is needed as a pollinator. My Goldrush apple tree serves that function.

Jonafree was the fifth apple cultivar that the cooperative apple breeding program sponsored by Rutgers, the University of Illinois, and Purdue University developed. The first seedling tree, planted in 1965, was a cross between two experimental varieties. The pedigree of the apple includes Red Spy, Galia Beauty, Jonathan, Golden Delicious, and Rome Beauty.

The Jonafree apple is available from Stark Brothers nursery as a semi-dwarf tree suitable for home gardeners.