Freedom Apple Tree | Bare Root, Hardy to Zone 3b

Freedom Apple

$39.99

Reliable shipping

Flexible returns

Pollination Needs a partner

Bloom group 4 of 7 (Mid)

See trees that will pollenize it Apple Pollination Map

Ripening

Will it finish before your first hard freeze?

Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)

At a glance: Freedom Apple is an apple tree rated hardy to zone 3b in our ratings (winters to -35°F), and not self-fertile, so it needs a different variety nearby as a pollenizer (bloom group 4 of 7, mid for an apple or crabapple).

Hardy to	Zone 3b to 8. The b means the warmer half of zone 3 only (winters to -35°F). Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator.
Pollination	Needs Cross-Pollination. Bloom group 4 of 7 (mid), late spring here. Plant a different apple or crabapple variety that blooms in groups 3 to 5. It has good pollen, so it can also pollenize other apples blooming at the same time. Good partners we carry: Otterson Crabapple, Trail Crabapple, Alexander Apple, Burgundy Apple and 103 more. Apple Pollination Map.
Rootstock and size	M26: dwarf to semi-dwarf, about 8 to 14 ft tall unpruned. Stake it the first few years. Our rootstock guide.
Good for	Fresh eating (6/10), sauce and butter (6/10), juice and sweet cider (6/10), winter storage (6/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists.
Deer	A deer favorite. Fence it or cage it.
What you get	Bare root, 2-3 ft. Bud grafts on 1 yr older rootstock or 3-5 ft. Bud grafts on 1 yr older rootstock. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out.

Overview

Freedom is another disease-resistant variety developed by New York’s Agricultural Experiment Station. Introduced in 1983—more than 25 years after the initial cross—Freedom has a diverse genetic background, including Macoun, Antonovka, Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Rome, and Malus floribunda. The Malus floribunda parent imparts the VF gene responsible for scab resistance. (You can read more about its official 1983 release here.)

Ripening Time and Flavor Profile

A reliable Zone 4 variety, Freedom is a good keeper and blooms a few days after McIntosh. It typically ripens in the first week of October (whereas McIntosh is usually ready by the end of September).

In terms of flavor, Freedom is sweet with a mild tartness, but it can be underwhelming. As Van McIver noted during one of our Fall 2023 taste tests, “The flavor is there and then gone. It doesn’t stick around long.” It’s a decent apple—perhaps not as flavorful as Liberty among disease-resistant varieties—but it's still worthy of a place in the orchard for its strong disease resistance, reliable bearing habit, and storability.

Rootstock Information

Freedom is available grafted onto two rootstocks:

M26 (Semi-Dwarf): Not hardy below -40°F.

If you're in a region that flirts with -40°F as your winter low, choose other varieties as neither this rootstock nor Freedom are known to consistently withstand sub -40F temps.

Questions we get about Freedom Apple

Does Freedom Apple need a pollenizer?

Yes. Freedom Apple needs pollen from a different variety that blooms at about the same time. Plant a different apple or crabapple variety that blooms in groups 3 to 5. It has good pollen, so it can also pollenize other apples blooming at the same time. Partners we carry include Otterson Crabapple, Trail Crabapple, Alexander Apple.

How cold hardy is Freedom Apple?

We rate Freedom Apple hardy to zone 3b, which means winters down to about -35°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.

How big does Freedom Apple get?

We graft Freedom Apple onto M26 (dwarf to semi-dwarf), which makes a tree roughly 8 to 14 ft tall if you never prune it.

What is Freedom Apple good for?

Our top use scores for Freedom Apple are fresh eating (6/10), sauce and butter (6/10), juice and sweet cider (6/10), winter storage (6/10).

Will deer eat Freedom Apple?

Yes, deer love it. Protect Freedom Apple with a fence or a cage, especially while it is young.

What arrives, and when does Freedom Apple ship?

A dormant bare-root plant, roots wrapped in moist sawdust with a vapor barrier, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring. Sizes offered: 2-3 ft. Bud grafts on 1 yr older rootstock or 3-5 ft. Bud grafts on 1 yr older rootstock. We guarantee our plants bud out. Stone fruits can be slow, so if one still has not budded out by August 15, write to us and we credit you for the following spring.

Pollination partners

Trees that will pollenize Freedom Apple

Freedom Apple needs a different apple or crabapple nearby to set fruit. Every tree below blooms at the same time and has pollen that works for it. Plant partners within about 100 feet.

Bloom group 4 of 7 (Mid)

Pollination Needs a partner

Pollen Good pollenizer

107 trees we carry will pollenize it. Showing the best matches, in-stock first.