Spartan apple

Malus domestica

Characteristic vinous flavour, crunchy, sweet, easy to grow.

Spartan apple photo tape

Parentage: McIntosh x Newtown Pippin
Origin: Canada
Introduced: 1926
Season: Nov-Jan
Apple cultivar ID: 105800


Spartan is a small sweet apple, and a great favourite with children. It is very much a "McIntosh" style apple, bright crimson skin and whiter-than-white flesh. We leave ours on the tree as long as possible, until they are crimson all over, as this allows the flavour to develop. Straight from the tree the flesh is very crisp and juicy, but it softens a bit within a week or so of picking - although remaining juicy.  Spartan is an excellent garden apple, being easy to grow, resistant to scab, fairly resistant to mildew, and it crops very reliably.

Spartan is a historically interesting apple, being probably the first new variety to be developed as the result of a formal scientific breeding programme. It was created at the Canadian Apple Research Station in Summerland, British Columbia, in the 1920s, and is a cross between McIntosh (of course !) and Newtown Pippin - both popular North American apples of the time.  Before this, most new varieties were developed either by chance or by amateurs cross-pollinating varieties and hoping for the best.



Relationships to other apple varieties

Parents and other ancestors of this variety

Siblings of this variety (same parentage)

  • Empire - Spartan and Empire are half-brothers

Visitor comments

(Use the form at the bottom to add your own comments, or reply to one of the existing comments)

30 May 2008 06:32   LEE from Honolulu
ALOHA ~~ EXCELLENT APPLE. RAISED IN RHODE ISLAND, OLDEST OF SIX, ONE OF MANY FAMILY TRADITIONS WAS THE HAPPY WEEKEND TREK TO THE RI COUNTRYSIDE FOR A BUSHEL OF McINTOSH APPLES. LIVING IN HONOLULU NOW FOR 20 YRS, SPARTANS ARE REALLY THE CLOSEST I'VE EVER GOTTEN TO THE TASTE OF MY BELOVED McINTOSH.Reply to this comment
17 Jan 2008 16:54   linda from troon ayrshire, Scotland
Inherited this apple tree and over the years it has yielded a lot of fruit - never tasted an apple so good - bumper crop this year so brought apples into work - everyone raved about the taste,colour,texture etc yummee OP: Yes, this is an easy apple to grow, and great straight from the tree.Reply to this comment
27 Nov 2007 03:40   Bea Muir from Sequim, WA. USA
This apple has the best taste for cooking or eating and I would like to grow my own tree's, but cannot find where to buy them in Clallam County?Reply to this comment
02 Nov 2007 19:07   jenny from Co. Durham, UK
We like spartans very much but it seems to be a very short season. We've found them in Waitrose and Sainsbury's. Is it possible to buy a box from an English grower? OP: Yes, Spartans are great straight from the tree, but don't really keep.Reply to this comment
27 Oct 2007 02:52   Robi from Cambridge, UK
Every year we pick apples at a friend's orchard, but we never knew what they were until we had them identified at the apple day at the botanical gardens last week end. The ones we love, aka "the purple ones", as my children call them, were identified as Spartan, but they are almost plum colour, with white flesh tinted pink in places, and not as squashed in shape as the one in your photo. Nothing like it really...anyway we absolutely adore them, eat them every day and have made quite a lot of juice. The others, which we also like but not as much, are Queen cox and Crispin Mutsu - these were probably ready a bit earlier and have gone a bit soft, but the taste is quite nice. We also picked some Howgate Wonder for baking, and they are nice and sharp, but I quite like to eat them raw too! Orangeippin: yes, Spartan can go very deep crimson/purple if left on the tree as late as possible.Reply to this comment
22 Oct 2007 13:33   Richard from England
My first experience of a Spartan apple, and its certianly a good one. Seems to be available in Waitrose at the moment - at least until I buy them all!Reply to this comment
21 Oct 2007 13:14   Pat from England
I have just had the apples growing in our garden identified as Spartans. I love the way they have a whitish bloom on the skin until you polish them, then they glow deep red, much darker than the picture above. They make a wonderful sunset coloured apple juice, keep well when stored - altogether, a great apple!Reply to this comment
15 Oct 2007 21:54   Jackie from Bethel CT, USA
I recently went apple picking in Washington CT Averill Farm. I picked all Spartan apples, they are the BEST so far!!Reply to this comment
15 Oct 2007 14:32   Andrew Allison from Oxford, England
I grow Spartan apples in my back garden. This year was an exceptional crop. One medium tree yielded nearly 200 kg of the little gems, which I shall shortly be pressing to make some Spartan Cider!Reply to this comment
14 Oct 2007 16:30   Patsy from Pa, USA
I love the spartan apple, but I haven't been able to find them in a long time, I finally got some at an Amish roadside stand I frequent near my home. I ate one on the way home and couldn't get over how good it was, I'm going back to get some more.Reply to this comment
11 Oct 2007 21:41   Elizabeth from England
Bought 3 of these. My children hated them! I however adored them as they brought back memories of my childhood. No idea why. Will buy them again.Reply to this comment
07 Oct 2007 23:32   Pat Robbins from Pennsylvania
I absolutely love this apple, but it is extremely hard to find where I live. Every year I ask various growers from around my area, but it seems noone has them. I would appreciate knowing where I can find these delicious apples. Thanks, Pat RobbinsReply to this comment

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Where to buy apple trees

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Apple tree register

The following Spartan trees have been registered - click the name to view more details of each tree:

  • 09 Aug 08  Axel Kratel  Santa Cruz, California, United States

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