// SPECIES PROFILE · TREE · FOOD CROP · CULTIVATED

Apple

Malus domestica

Apple (Malus domestica) is a cultivated fruit tree grown for its edible fruit. Family: Rosaceae (rose family). Originally from Central Asia. Hardy in zones 4a–8a. Mature size 10'–20'. Harvest in northeastern Oklahoma: Jul–Oct.

// QUICK FACTS

Family: Rosaceae (rose family)
Group: tree · perennial
Origin: Central Asia · cultivated
USDA zones: Zones 4a–8a
Mature size: 10'–20'
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Edible parts: fruit
Harvest (NE OK): Jul–Oct
Garden role: choose fire-blight & cedar-apple-rust resistant cultivars · needs a pollinator partner · early bee forage

Apple (Malus domestica) — *Malus domestica* — Apple. Photo by fir0002 flagstaffotos [at] gmail.com Canon 20D + Sigma 150mm f/2.8 via Wikimedia Commons (GFDL 1.2).

Field Notes

[ growing · ecology · siting · care ]

Why it's on this list: choose fire-blight & cedar-apple-rust resistant cultivars · needs a pollinator partner · early bee forage. A cultivated food crop — not a native — grown alongside regional natives in Rooted Revival's kitchen-garden and food-forest designs. Harvest windows are for northeastern Oklahoma (USDA zone 7a).

Companion Planting

[ guild · polyculture · cross-layer pairings ]

In a kitchen garden or food-forest guild, apple pairs well with: Wild chives (Allium schoenoprasum), Comfrey (Symphytum officinale), Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa).