Introduced by the University of Minnesota in 1957, Centennial is fairly similar to Kerr in its ancestry. Kerr = Haralson Apple x Dolgo Crabapple . Centennial = Wealthy Apple x Dolgo Crabapple. This is our first year we have offered Centennial, although we have been growing it for a few years. We have not had fruit from a tree yet, though, so we can’t speak on the flavor. But we can speak to how hardy of a tree it is, as it had zero signs of winter injury from Ed Schultz’ -47F in Gallatin Gateway, MT. Also popular amongst Alaska growers. Hardy to at least -50F.

According to University of Minnesota, where the apple was bred, “Large, red over orange crabapple that is excellent for fresh eating and sauce, but does not store well.” It ripens mid-late August in Montana.

In terms of rootstock for Centennial, we ran out of Dolgo and therefore we were only able to graft it onto M26, which is only hardy to about -40F. However, if you are in an area that has the potential to see below -40F, you can still purchase these, but make sure you bury the graft so that the Centennial genetics root out. This will be a full size tree eventually (20-30 ft.) if left unchecked/unpruned.