Zestar!® Apple Tree
Begins shipping early September.
Zones 4 - 8
Pollinator required to bear fruit
Begins shipping
early September
Zones 4 - 8
Pollinator required to bear fruit
An early season apple with a crisp, juicy texture, and an exciting zesty flavor!
This Minnesota-bred beauty is a true winner! The Zestar!® Apple tree produces delicious fruits that ripen early in the season, in August. Expect a nice annual harvest of well-balanced, light, crisp, juicy apples. For an early bearer – fruit stores well, for up to two months in cold storage.
The Zestar!® Apple tree grows best in northern U.S., Canada, and areas with a relatively cooler climate. This apple tree has a somewhat upright form with vigorous growth in early years and attaining a spur-type habit. It is very cold-hardy and resistant to most common apple tree diseases.
Zestar!® (Minnewashta cultivar) is a registered trademark of the University of Minnesota. It Zs introduced in 1999 from a hybridization of State Fair x MN 1691.
Characteristics
| Bloom Color | White |
| Ripens Harvest | Early-mid August |
| Fruit Color | Red |
| Fruit Size | Medium – Large |
| Soil Composition | Loamy |
| Taste | Sweet, Tart |
| Texture | Firm |
| Soil pH Level | 6-7 |
| Soil Moisture | Well Drained |
| Shade Level | Full Sun |
| Years to Bear | 2-5 |
| Bloom Period | Mid |
| Hardiness Zone Range | 4-8 |
Size & Spacing
Pollination
This variety requires another one for adequate pollination.
Cross-pollination by a different variety is key to its growing and bearing success. Plant a different variety within 15 meters (50 feet) for best pollination.
Recommended Pollinators: Cortland, Empire, Wolf River, Yellow Transparent, Buckeye Gala, Honeycrisp, Liberty, Royal Empire, SnowSweet, Ginger Gold, Golden Delicious, Winter Banana
How do I find my Hardiness Zone?
Canada’s Plant Hardiness Zones will tell you which plants will do well in your particular climate. Each zone is determined by the lowest average winter temperature recorded in a given area. Hardiness Zone information is included on all tree and plant product pages, so you know instantly whether a certain plant is likely to succeed where you live. Natural Resources Canada provides helpful options to find your zone:
Cindy Chitwood –
Purchased 2 last year and another this year. Ones last year are already blooming and look forward to having some this year.
Amy Rakow –
We ordered 12 Apple trees and a Kristen Cherry, a pair of mulberrys, and a grape we do not find around here… 10 of the 12 trees already have green, the cherry and mulberrys as well. The grape hasn’t done anything but I’m pateint. Zestars are one of the “Pairs” of Apple trees we picked and they are so far doing well! This is one of my favorite apple types alongside Cortlands. I’m not a fan of “tart” fruits but their is just enough tart/sweet balance these go very quick during picking. We eat them fresh, make pies, can, and my favorite with this type is apple sauce. We are lucky to have a local orchard to have tested a variety of apples so when we decided to add our own orchard I picked our favorites. I simply dug large holes for our bare rooted semi-dwarfs. Then mixed a garden soil and rabbit poop 50/50 and used more rabbit compost around each tree. We have a very high clay soil so I have been ammending it directly with rabbit compost. Nothing special or extravagent… Then made sure each tree got a gallon or two of water a day for the first 2 weeks, its been very dry here.
Joe Fricke –
This apple works great on my property. It seems to miss the disease and bugs that harass my other apple trees. It always gives me the best and biggest apples of all my trees, even if I neglect a regular spraying schedule.
Robert Bixby –
Tree came in good shape, started very well and looks very good.
Michael Fleming –
It is doing well, but still to early for the first fruit.
Richard Townsend –
little tree lived through a cold Montana winter… not bad for a newly planted little tree! It was a nasty cold winter too, So I’ll do a up date in a few years when it is producing apples
Thurston Thurston –
I have been satisfied with all my purchases with them and I’m sure when I purchase a plant from them it is what they say. They have a very good customer service.
Jim Schoepke –
This is my second or third zestar!. SO far they are making through the wisconsin winters. One of my older trees are going to bloom this year and looking forward to it. I think that I’v had that tree for about 4 years now.
Henry Nordloh –
Stark Zestar Apple is my first foray into stepover espalier. We planted it in the spring of 2016, so don’t expect fruit yet, but the tree is doing well. Espalier is easier than you might think!
Bill L Bill L –
Came shipped in wonderful package with good root structure. Planted it as soon as I could with good results after the spring rains. Good growth the first year. growing very well this spring.