Disease Resistance and Flavor

Liberty is an excellent choice for beginners, thanks to its disease resistance, which extends to all growers, regardless of experience. It’s one of the few apples that is resistant to all the major apple diseases. We actually prefer it even more than McIntosh, which says a lot. Liberty is essentially an improved version of McIntosh but without the aroma of Mac. Unlike McIntosh, it doesn’t have the same scab issues or suffer from pre-harvest drop, making it much easier to grow. Liberty was introduced in 1978 by the NY Ag Experiment Station as a cross between Macoun and Purdue 54-12, the latter of which carries the Vf Malus floribunda scab-resistant gene. We consider Liberty to be one of the best apples for Montana growers. It thrives in Rod McIver’s orchard in the colder part of Kalispell, which is a solid Zone 4.Hardiness and Cold Tolerance

In terms of cold hardiness, we rate Liberty as being comparable to McIntosh. It can withstand temperatures as low as -40°F, but anything colder than that might be too much for it. If you’re in an area that regularly experiences sub -40°F temperatures, you may want to consider other, more cold-hardy apple varieties.

Rootstock and Availability for 2025

For Spring 2025, we’ve grafted Liberty onto several different rootstocks to accommodate various climates and grower needs:

• M26 Semi-Dwarf Rootstock: This rootstock produces trees that grow to about 12-16 feet tall at maturity.

• M7 Rootstock: A more vigorous semi-dwarf option than M26, offering slightly larger trees.

• Antonovka Rootstock: A full-size rootstock for those in areas that see temperatures between -40°F to -45°F. If your area experiences the lower limit of this range, Antonovka may provide the added cold-hardiness necessary to help Liberty survive.