Wickson Crab was developed by Albert Etter, an apple enthusiast best-known for his work on pink-fleshed and red-fleshed apples. Wickson was the result of crossing two other crab apple varieties. Confusingly Etter refers to them as Spitzenberg crab and Newtown crab in his patent papers, but it is not thought they are related to the mainstream apples of the same names but were crabs developed by Etter himself. In this respect Etter pre-dated the modern trend for using crab-apples in breeding programmes.
Like most crab-apples Wickson is very small, and is also a hardy and problem-free tree. However that is where the resemblance to other crab-apples ends. Wickson is unusually sweet, but at the same time has a strong acid component. The result is an apple which has a very strong flavor, making it an excellent component for cider blends. (This flavor of course tends to encourage the view that Spiztzenburg and Newtown Pippin might be involved somewhere in the parentage, as these apples both have pronounced flavors).
Etter named his apple after his friend Edward J. Wickson, a leading Californian pomologist who was one of the few experts who took his work seriously at the time.
Wickson crab-apple identification images
All images copyright Orange Pippin unless otherwise stated.
USDA identification images for Wickson
The identification paintings in the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection span the years 1886 to 1942.
Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705.
Visitor reviews
- 24 Dec 2020 VIRGINIA, United StatesAlbemarle Ciderworks (Charlottesville, VA) now offers a single-varietal Wickson dry cider. It's the best cider I've ever tasted. https://www.albemarleciderworks.com/blog/new-cider-release-wickson-crab
- 09 Oct 2017 MA, United StatesThe first apples (ever!, yeah!) off of any of my trees, four small, scabby red / brown / green /gold spheres, the size of golf balls. Hard, but very sweet (not being sure when to harvest, I let them sit on the tree until the first two dropped by themselves). Definitely acid and somewhat tannic, moderate juiciness. No particular flavors to compare them to, just a very apple-ly, clean taste. It was a gamble planting Wickson, never having tasted one before, but all indications were that it would be a good addition to the orchard. I think I guess right!
- 27 Mar 2015 VERMONT, United StatesI went to an apple tasting at Walden Heights Nursery in Walden, Vermont, and among the 100 varieties I tasted, this was a top 5! Oh my goodnesss! The intensity of the flavor reminds me of Ashmead's Kernel, though they don't taste alike. Amazing apple! This is a great apple and it tasted great grown in a zone 4!
- 11 Nov 2013 DC, United StatesI happened upon Wickson apples at an orchard near Navarro, CA, near Humboldt County. It is the best apple I have ever tasted. I am considering scheduling all my future trips to Northern California around apple season just to have the opportunity to purchase Wicksons directly from the growers.
- 15 Oct 2012 CA, United StatesWickson is my favorite variety of apple. In my humble opinion, it is the best tasting apple I have ever had. Though I personally enjoy just eating them raw, they are particularly well suited for white-chocolate caramel apples because their tart flavor offsets the super-sweet white chocolate, and also because they are small enough that one person can easily eat the whole thing.
- 24 Dec 2011 OREGON, United StatesI have a small orchard with about eighty varieties of more-or-less antique types of apple on dwarfing rootstocks. Wickson Crab is one of my favorites, a vigorous and annually productive tree that, on EMLA 27, bears up to fifty pounds of apples a year. This fruit is delightful to eat fresh off the tree - juicy, very sweet, very tart, and with a complex "appley" flavor. I usually give most of the crop to a local lady who makes it into the most delicious crabapple jelly, of an amber colour, that you would ever taste. This winter I intend to put in six new trees grafted on P-2 rootstock.
- 13 Nov 2011 CALIFORNIA, United StatesI've tasted Wickson in both colder climates and our hot climate, and it definately prefers a great deal of heat to achieve top quality. This is not surprising, as Humbolt County in the Sierra Nevada foothills where it originates gets very hot in the summer, sometimes hitting 115F. People are usually amused when I hand them this tiny apple, thinking it is a joke or something. But their eyes light up when they crunch into it and taste the wonderful sweet/tart balance, and nibble it down to a tiny core, sucking the last juice out of the core. The tree bears reliably and looks like Christmas decorations hanging there, ripening in mid-November here in Southern California.
Tree register
United States
- Adam Dupps in Lawrenceburg, IN
- Al Yelvington in RUSSELL, PA
- Andrea Dowdell in San Pedro, CA
- Andrew in Broomfield, CO
- Axel Kratel in Santa Cruz, CALIFORNIA
- Chris in Kennewick, WA
- Chris in Kennewick, WA
- Craig Sheehan in Winchester, KY
- Dan Spratlen in Camano Island, WASHINGTON
- Duane Brown in West Jefferson, NC
- Elijah Evans in Washington, DC
- fendwick in Bemidji, MN
- g Joseph Jordan in WEST CHESTER, PA
- Glenn Tremble in Trail, OREGON
- James Nichols in La Luz, NEW MEXICO
- James Wargo in SOUTHBURY, CT
- Jeremy Brown in Mulvane, KANSAS
- Jerry Hudgins in Point Reyes Station, CALIFORNIA
- John R Hart in Woodstock, CT
- Jonathan Bastedo in YUCAIPA, CA
- Karen Spencer in Salado, TX
- Martin in Lakeport, CA
- Martin in Anaheim, CA
- Michelle Lancaster in Colville, WA
- Mike Haller in SIOUX CITY, IOWA
- Nathan Shackelford in Aurora, IL
- Paul Grochowski in Floyd, VIRGINIA
- Peter Scott in SEBASTOPOL, CA
- Phil Potter in Laguna Niguel, CALIFORNIA
- Rex Callis in Pittsboro, IN
- Rick Mercadante in Baden, PA
- Rick Mercadante in Baden, PA
- Ryan in STERLING, NY
- Ryan in Poway, CALIFORNIA
- Ryan Grover in Vineyard, UTAH
- Scott Atkins in PORTLAND, OR
- Stephan Orchard in Westfield, INDIANA
- Steve Kollodge in BROOK PARK, MN
- Steven Sypkens in TURNEY, MO
- Trevor Roth in Erhard, MINNESOTA
- Whitney Peters in Sixes, OREGON
Canada
- Clive Rose in SALT SPRING ISLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA
- Jeannine Caldbeck in Thetis Island, BRITISH COLUMBIA
Spring blossom records for this variety
2020 season
- 21st April 2020 - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States
2019 season
- 23rd April 2019 - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States
2018 season
- 20th April 2018 - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States
2017 season
- 25th April 2017 - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States
- March 2017 - tree owned by Phil in Laguna Niguel, United States
2016 season
- 5th April 2016 - tree owned by Chris in Kennewick, United States
- 4th April 2016 - tree owned by Chris in Kennewick, United States
2015 season
- 3rd April 2015 - tree owned by Chris in Kennewick, United States
2011 season
- May 2011 - tree owned by Dan in Camano Island, United States
Record your blossom dates in our Fruit Tree Register - more >>.
Harvest records for this variety
2020 season
- 4th week October 2020 - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States
2019 season
- 3rd week October 2019 - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States
2018 season
- 2nd week October 2018 - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States
2017 season
- 2nd week October 2017 - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States
- October 2017 - tree owned by Phil in Laguna Niguel, United States
2015 season
- 2nd week September 2015 - tree owned by Chris in Kennewick, United States
Origins
- Species: Malus species - Crab-apple
- Parentage: Probably other unknown crab apples developed by Etter
- Originates from: Humboldt County, northern California, United States
- Introduced: Early 20th century
- Developed by: Albert Etter
Identification
- Fruit colour: Orange / Red
- Flower colour: White
- Leaf colour: Green
- Annual cycle: Deciduous
Using
- Picking season: Late
- Keeping (of fruit): 2-3 weeks
- Flavour quality: Very good
- Cropping: Heavy
- Fruit persistence: Persistent
- Food uses: Juice
- Food uses: Hard cider
- Picking period: mid-November
- Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators
Growing
- Gardening skill: Average
- Flowering group: 2
- Pollinating others: Good
- Ploidy: Diploid
- Vigour: Vigorous
- Bearing regularity: Regular
- Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
Climate
- Cold hardiness (USDA): Zone 3 (-40C)
- Climate suitability: Temperate climates
- Climate suitability: Warm climates
- Summer average maximum temperatures: Cool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)
- Summer average maximum temperatures: Warm (25-30C / 76-85F)
- Summer average maximum temperatures: Hot (>30C / 86F)
Other qualities
- Scab (Apple and Pear): Some susceptibility
- Cedar apple rust: Some susceptibility
Where to buy trees
The following tree nurseries offer Wickson crab-apple trees for sale:
- Orange Pippin Fruit Trees (USA) United States
Wickson Crab crab-apple trees - Thomas Fruit Trees (EU) France
Wickson Crab crab-apple trees
Where to buy fresh fruit
The following orchards grow Wickson:
United States
California
Maine
- Tiny Orchards, Saco