Liberty was released in 1978 by the NY Ag Experiment Station as a cross between Macoun and Purdue 54-12, which had the Vf Malus floribunda scab resistant gene. We consider Liberty to be one of the best apples to grow in Montana. It survives and bears well on Rod McIver’s orchard in a cold part of Kalispell, which is a solid zone 4. It’s good for beginners because its disease resistance, which should also extend to any grower for that matter. One of the few truly good tasting apples that is resistant to all the main apple growing diseases. We like even more than McIntosh, which says a lot. It’s effectively an improved Mac without the Aroma as Mac. It doesn’t have the same scab issues as McIntosh nor does it suffer from the same pre-harvest drop as McIntosh. In terms of Liberty’s hardiness, we would right it on par with McIntosh at -40F being the coldest it can withstand. So if you are in an area that sees sub -40F, look to other more cold hardy apples.

For Spring 2025, we have grafted Liberty onto semi-dwarf M26 (12-16 ft. tall at maturity), M7, which is a more vigorous semi-dwarf than M26, and Antonovka (full size). Use Antonovka if you are on the fringe (-40F to -45F), which would be the lower limit, but the hardy Antonovka rootstock could potentially help it. Or if it dies at -45, Antonovka ould live which you could grow out or graft onto.