The comprehensive resource for apples and orchards

Golden Delicious apple

Undoubtedly one of the most important apple varieties of the 20th century, both as a commercial variety in its own right, and as breeding stock for many other varieties. Very good flavor when home-grown.

Golden Delicious photo tape

Golden Delicious is a very popular as a supermarket apple variety, and now undergoing something of a rehabilitation amongst apple enthusiasts who are re-discovering its potential.

The variety was discovered by a West Virginia farmer at the end of the 19th century.  It is generally considered to be a seedling of Grimes Golden, to which it bears a strong resemblance.  The variety was soon taken up by the famous Stark Brothers nursery, who were so impressed by it that they bought the original tree and an area of land around it.  The tree lived on into the 1950s, by which time it had become firmly established as one of the world's great apple varieties.

Golden Delicious is now planted in all the major warm apple growing areas of the world. From a grower's perspective Golden Delicious is an attractive proposition - very easy to grow, heavy crops, and fruit which keeps in storage for a long time after harvest.

These qualities meant that by the mid-late 20th century Golden Delicious had become one of the mainstays of supermarket apple sales, along with Red Delicious and Granny Smith.  Towards the end of the 20th century when flavour once again became important in apples, detractors saw Golden Delicious as bland and boring, and it became a victim of its own success.

However enthusiasts are increasingly re-discovering Golden Delicious, and recognising that behind the mass-production and supermarket shelf-appeal there is a very good apple.  Part of the problem is that fruit picked for supermarkets is often picked when still green, and then stored for months before sale.  In contrast when allowed to ripen to a golden-green color on the tree the true flavour is revealed - exceptionally sweet and rich, almost like eating raw sugar cane.  Golden Delicious is also a versatile apple, and can be used both for dessert and cooking purposes, and it has an attractive appearance - which can indeed be golden if left to mature on the tree.

Furthermore, there is no doubting the importance of Golden Delicious in the sheer number of new varieties which have been raised from it. You do not need to be a professional grower to realise that crossing Golden Delicious with Cox's Orange Pippin (or their respective offspring) might lead to something with both the sweetness of Golden Delicious and the richness and complexity of Cox, and that is indeed what many have tried. That other supermarket staple, Gala, is a good example of this strategy.

Golden Delicious can grow well in the UK provided you have a warm and sheltered microclimate.  Our photo shows an English-grown Golden Delicious - not the perfect specimen you might see in a supermarket, but still a nice crisp sweet apple.

The variety known as Yellow Delicious is believed to be a synonym for Golden Delicious, possibly the result of unauthorized propagation from the original Golden Delicious tree.

Last updated 06 Jun 2011.

Also known as

  • Yellow Delicious

Summary

  • Species: Malus domestica
  • Parentage: Grimes Golden ???
  • Origin: West Virginia, United States
  • Introduced: 1890s
  • Developed by: Anderson Mullins
  • Orange Pippin Cultivar ID: 108400

Identification

  • Fruit colour: Yellow / Gold
  • Flesh colour: White
  • Fruit size: Medium
  • Bultitude apple group: 5. Yellow, smooth, sweet or acidic

Using

  • Good for eating fresh
  • Good for cooking
  • Cooking result: Keeps shape
  • Ripening period: Late season

Growing

  • Cropping: Heavy
  • Flowering period: Mid-Late season
  • Flowering group: 4
  • Fertility: Partially self-fertile
  • Triploid: No
  • Good pollinator: Yes
  • Vigour: Average growth
  • Gardening skill: Very easy
  • Fruit bearing: Spur-bearer
  • Attractive blossom

Climate

  • Suitable for warm climates
  • Suitable for temperate climates
  • Low-chill requirement

Other qualities

  • RHS Award of Garden Merit 1993

Disease resistance

  • Bacterial canker  Pseudomonas syringae  - Some susceptibility
  • Scab  - Some susceptibility
  • Mildew  - Some susceptibility

Relationships to other varieties

Parents and other ancestors of this variety:

Offspring of this variety:

See also:

  • Red Delicious - Golden Delicious and Red Delicious are not related, but are both commercially important varieties

Golden Delicious identification photos from official fruit collections


UK National Fruit Collection

©Crown Copyright more >
UK National Fruit Collection

Golden Delicious identification photos from website visitors


Golden Delicious tape


Golden Delicious

Golden Delicious blossom tape


Golden Delicious blossom


Rate this variety for flavor

Current rating: 4 out of 5. Total votes cast: 8
 

Visitor comments

(Use the form at the bottom to add your own comments about this variety)

13 Jan 2011 Patrick sVA, United States
Look for GDs from the eastern US - the limestone soil makes for great apples. Easy tree to grow and the best are YELLOW with a red blush. There's a reason that this is one parent from most other really good modern apples - it's fantastic and addictive when well grown.
11 Oct 2009 ClaireCARDIFF, WALES., United Kingdom
We inherited a small young apple tree from my mother-in-law in 1990 which was growing in her garden 1.000 ft up in the South Wales Valleys, producing tiny fruits. We dug it up and planted it on our allotment in Cardiff - eventually it started to develop and for many years has produced volumes of apples. I use them for cooking in Sept/Oct when green - needing very little sugar, (I use lemon rind or mix with other fruits like Autumn raspberries, blackberries or cape gooseberries - grown in a greenhouse - to give added flavour). Later towards end October/Nov. when they ripen further and turn from green to yellow they are super juicy (and very sweet) - a very unexpected delight as I would not buy a golden delicious as to me they have little flavour. Until 3 years ago I had no idea the variety of this apple tree until an Italian allotmenteer suggested it was a 'Golden Delicious'. I was surprised as I'd no idea this apple could taste so surprisingly good. I am often picking them off the tree after the leaves have dropped when they are so good for eating. Not a great keeper unless kept in a cool place which is why I leave them on the tree for as long as possible and before the birds eat them all. I keep it fairly hard pruned so as not to grow too high and it never fails to produce lots of fruit. Also on the allotment I grow a fairly large green cooker, similar to Bramley, in addition to a small Sunset apple tree and Charles Ross - both excellent eaters especially the CR which are huge apples except it does not keep long after picking - goes dry and woolly in flavour. We planted one in our small garden 40 years ago supposedly on a small rootstock which produced wonderful apples, good enough for showing at Horticultural Shows until it grew too big and had to be severely cut/pruned - starting to grow a few fruits again.
09 Aug 2009 BridieNORTHERN IRELAND, United Kingdom
Hi Amy I have tree with two verieties grafted onto it James Grieves and Golden delicious which as you say have never been green or yellow but green with some red .I wondered if it was another variety as it looks more like the James Grieves.
18 Jun 2009 ChuckBELLEVILLE, IL, United States
The apple in the picture is what the Golden Delicious look like here at Shop n Save but not the apple I remember eating as a child. Am I correct in saying that apples do not ripen after they are picked? If so why are these very unripe hard and marginally digestible specimens being called Golden Delicious?
18 Jun 2009 SativargBELLEVILLE, IL, United States
To:Amy from Cleveland, Oh RE: your red apples Some fruit trees are grafted http://www.midfex.org/m/whygraft.html They have the root stock of one variety and the trunk and branches of another. Your tree may have suffered the loss of the desired graft while retaining the rootstock and continued to grow. I may be wrong though.
07 Jun 2009 AmyCLEVELAND, OH, United States
Does anyone know if Golden Delicious apples start out looking like a regular red apple and then change at some point? I have some growing on a tree that was tagged as Golden from the nursery but the apples are definately NOT yellow. They are greenish and red.
19 Sep 2008 LisaBONN, Germany
last month I used GD for my experiment in lab. The rest was not used, and I though I'd just eat it. It was delicious: a bit tart, sweet and crisp. I love it! btw, one should try to buy the apples direct from orchard.
11 Sep 2008 KrystaVANCOUVER, Canada
I'm a little confused as to what this type of golden greeny apple is bred from? Is a green apple supposed to ripe and ready to consume? Or is it supposed to turn yellow? I'm a big fan and consumer of the yellow Golden Delicious.
29 May 2008 Steven DewhurstUnited States
The Golden Delicious is a very popular apple with people where I work and, knowing I'm a bit of an apple enthusiast, are always asking what I think of them. It'd been so long since I had one that I had to go and buy some in order to comment. I wish I hadn't. They were soft, sugary and crumbly. I would love to try one direct from and orchard, however, after reading some of the other comments.
21 May 2008 ZoeDONCASTER, United Kingdom
i think the apples are very healthy for people who are loosing weaght
14 Apr 2008 GenNORTHAMPTON, United Kingdom
I find these too soft and crumbly too often.
12 Feb 2008 M. ReedCOLLEGE STATION, TX, U.S., United States
These are great for eating fresh and for kuchen and other desserts when just ripe (somewhere between green and gold.) When overripe, only Red Delicious is blander.
04 Jan 2008 AmandaWASHINGTON STATE, United States
If you want a good Golden Delicious, find one in the store that is "golden" in color with some russetting of the skin, not the insipid greenish examples normally found. Even better, when the Goldens are actually supposed to be in season, buy them direct from the orchards - at the numerous fruit stands in the Wenatchee area, you can find good Goldens direct since russetted fruit can't go to the packing houses.
18 Oct 2007 CharlesCRAWLEY, United Kingdom
I have never had a decent Golden Delicious!
17 Sep 2007 Mary ArthurVIRGINIA, United States
I grew up on the West coast & always hated golden delicious apples because they were mealy and bland. When I moved to Virginia 8 years ago I re-discovered this apple at the local orchards & it is now my favorite -- crisp, good sweet/tart balance & wonderful flavor. In Browning's book "Apples" he states that the Golden Delicious should never be grown West of the Mississippi -- he is absolutely right!! Try this again from an Eastern orchard and you may change your mind.
03 Aug 2007 TomUnited Kingdom
I've never considered an apple "boring". :Simple, yes, no complex mixture of flavors, but boring? My question is, has Golden Delicious changed over the years? When I was a kid (I'm in my 40s), I could tell GD by looking; they'd have an almost translucent quality to their skin. And they were also perfect for long, long storage. They might get wrinkly, but they just got mellower, kept the good flavor, never got "mealy" or bruised or rotten. Now, what I see bagged as GD don't have any of those qualities!


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Fruit tree register

Do you have a tree of this variety in your garden or orchard? If so please register the details here and contribute to our international register of fruit trees.

The following Golden Delicious trees have been registered - click the name to view more details of each tree.

You can also view these trees on a map.

United States

United Kingdom

Hungary

Italy

Canada

Australia

New Zealand

South Africa

India

Poland



Latest Spring blossom records for this variety

2011 season

  • 7th May  2011  - tree owned by Robert in AYR, United Kingdom
  • 6th May  2011  - tree owned by Ted in WEST MOUNTAIN, United States
  • May  2011  - tree owned by Leslie in KELOWNA, Canada
  • 27th April  2011  - tree owned by David in WILSON, United States
  • 23rd April  2011  - tree owned by Arwadoo in SRINAGAR, India
  • 22nd April  2011  - tree owned by Andrew in St Saviour, United Kingdom
  • 22nd April  2011  - tree owned by Vanessa in Stevenage, United Kingdom
  • 10th April  2011  - tree owned by Don in PHILO, United States
  • April  2011  - tree owned by Vishal in SHIMLA, India

2010 season

  • 15th October  2010  - tree owned by Mark in Rangiora, New Zealand
  • 2nd May  2010  - tree owned by N. in CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom
  • 18th April  2010  - tree owned by Eric in BRISTOL, United Kingdom
  • 16th April  2010  - tree owned by Natalie in CHESAPEAKE, United States
  • April  2010  - tree owned by Leslie in KELOWNA, Canada
  • 25th March  2010  - tree owned by Arwadoo in SRINAGAR, India

2009 season

  • May  2009  - tree owned by Leslie in KELOWNA, Canada
  • 18th April  2009  - tree owned by N. in CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom
  • March  2009  - tree owned by Vanessa in Stevenage, United Kingdom
  •  March  2009  - tree owned by Linda in NUNEATON, United Kingdom

Record your blossom dates in our Fruit Tree Register - more >>.

Latest harvest records for this variety

2011 season

  • 4th week October  2011  - tree owned by Arthur in KLAMATH FALLS, United States
  • 2nd week October  2011  - tree owned by Leslie in KELOWNA, Canada
  • 4th week September  2011  - tree owned by Brentley in BEND, United States
  • 3rd week September  2011  - tree owned by Don in PHILO, United States
  • 1st week September  2011  - tree owned by Randy in BAXLEY, United States
  • August  2011  - tree owned by Vishal in SHIMLA, India

2010 season

  • 1st week October  2010  - tree owned by Leslie in KELOWNA, Canada
  • August  2010  - tree owned by Vanessa in Stevenage, United Kingdom

2009 season

  • 3rd week October  2009  - tree owned by Vanessa in Stevenage, United Kingdom
  • 1st week October  2009  - tree owned by Leslie in KELOWNA, Canada
  • October  2009  - tree owned by N. in CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom
  • September  2009  - tree owned by Linda in NUNEATON, United Kingdom

Mature heights for Golden Delicious trees

This table shows the likely mature height for a Golden Delicious tree taking into account the vigor of the variety, the rootstock, and soil conditions.

Rootstock Soil quality
Poor Below average Average Above average Very good
P22 2.5 ft
0.8 m		 3.1 ft
0.9 m		 3.7 ft
1.1 m		 4.3 ft
1.3 m		 4.9 ft
1.5 m
M27 2.8 ft
0.9 m		 3.5 ft
1.1 m		 4.2 ft
1.3 m		 4.9 ft
1.5 m		 5.6 ft
1.7 m
M9 4.2 ft
1.3 m		 5.3 ft
1.6 m		 6.3 ft
1.9 m		 7.4 ft
2.3 m		 8.4 ft
2.6 m
Bud.9 4.2 ft
1.3 m		 5.3 ft
1.6 m		 6.3 ft
1.9 m		 7.4 ft
2.3 m		 8.4 ft
2.6 m
Geneva 16 4.2 ft
1.3 m		 5.3 ft
1.6 m		 6.3 ft
1.9 m		 7.4 ft
2.3 m		 8.4 ft
2.6 m
Geneva 11 4.9 ft
1.5 m		 6.1 ft
1.9 m		 7.4 ft
2.3 m		 8.6 ft
2.6 m		 9.8 ft
3.0 m
M26 5.3 ft
1.6 m		 6.6 ft
2.0 m		 7.9 ft
2.4 m		 9.2 ft
2.8 m		 10.5 ft
3.2 m
Geneva 30 5.6 ft
1.7 m		 7.0 ft
2.1 m		 8.4 ft
2.6 m		 9.8 ft
3.0 m		 11.2 ft
3.4 m
MM102 5.6 ft
1.7 m		 7.0 ft
2.1 m		 8.4 ft
2.6 m		 9.8 ft
3.0 m		 11.2 ft
3.4 m
M7 6.3 ft
1.9 m		 7.9 ft
2.4 m		 9.5 ft
2.9 m		 11.0 ft
3.4 m		 12.6 ft
3.9 m
M116 6.3 ft
1.9 m		 7.9 ft
2.4 m		 9.5 ft
2.9 m		 11.0 ft
3.4 m		 12.6 ft
3.9 m
MM106 7.0 ft
2.1 m		 8.8 ft
2.7 m		 10.5 ft
3.2 m		 12.3 ft
3.8 m		 14.0 ft
4.3 m
MM111 8.4 ft
2.6 m		 10.5 ft
3.2 m		 12.6 ft
3.9 m		 14.7 ft
4.5 m		 16.8 ft
5.2 m
Bud.118 9.1 ft
2.8 m		 11.4 ft
3.5 m		 13.7 ft
4.2 m		 15.9 ft
4.9 m		 18.2 ft
5.6 m
M25 10.5 ft
3.2 m		 13.1 ft
4.0 m		 15.8 ft
4.8 m		 18.4 ft
5.6 m		 21.0 ft
6.4 m

From an idea by N. Buck - more details.

Where to buy apple trees

The following fruit tree nurseries offer Golden Delicious apple trees for sale:

Where to buy apples

The following orchards and suppliers offer Golden Delicious apples for sale. map >

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