Popular apple varieties vary greatly in taste, harvest time and how well they can be stored. Some are crisp and sweet for eating fresh, others are tart and perfect for cake, juice and cooking. If you choose a variety based on use, climate and pollination, you will typically get a more stable tree and a better harvest year after year 🍎.
In this guide, you get a practical overview of popular apple varieties, what they are good for, when they ripen, and what you should consider when choosing apple trees for the garden.
Before you fall in love with a name, choose based on how you want to use the apples – and how much effort you’re willing to put into storage and care.
In short: Choose 1–2 varieties with different ripening times, so you get both early eating apples and late storage apples.
Many apple trees need another variety nearby to set fruit. If you only have room for one tree, you can look for varieties that are often easily pollinated in residential areas, or choose a tree with several varieties grafted onto the same trunk.
💡 Tip: If your neighbor has apple trees, they can often help with pollination. Otherwise, two different varieties are a safe solution.
You get the most pleasant harvest season if you combine early and late varieties:
⚠️ Watch out: Many storage apples only taste really good after they’ve been stored for a while. That’s normal.
A classic in the garden. Aromatic, slightly spicy flavor with a fine balance between sweetness and acidity. Good as an eating apple and in cake, and can often be stored reasonably well.
Popular for the kitchen. Juicy and tart, perfect for apple cake, porridge and compote, but can also be eaten if you like more acidity.
An early variety with beautiful color and fresh taste. It is often a good choice if you want the first apples early in the season. Typically stores only briefly.
A very popular eating apple in the Nordic region. Juicy and sweet with great aroma. Often good for both eating and lighter kitchen use.
Known for being versatile. Good for both eating and cooking, and often makes good juice. The flavor typically has a pleasant acidity, making it well suited for the kitchen.
A variety many love for its intense aroma. It can be a bit more demanding, but rewards with a very distinctive taste. Good as an eating apple.
A classic Danish apple with plenty of juice and often good acidity. Fantastic for juice and the kitchen, and also lovely freshly picked. Typically stores for a shorter time.
Popular in many gardens for its crispness and good taste. Often a good eating apple and can be used broadly.
If you want to be sure of pollination and also have an ongoing harvest, two different varieties is often the best and simplest solution. If you have less space, you can choose a smaller tree on a weak rootstock or a tree with several varieties.
A simple combination for many gardens:
Ingrid Marie, Filippa, Discovery, Aroma, James Grieve, Cox Orange and Gråsten are among the varieties many often choose for the garden due to taste and versatility.
It depends on taste. Many prefer crisp and aromatic varieties like Aroma, Elstar or Cox Orange, while early varieties like Discovery are good straight from the tree.
Varieties with more acidity and structure are often best for the kitchen, e.g., Filippa, James Grieve and Gråsten.
Many varieties need cross-pollination. In residential areas, the neighbor’s trees can help, but two different varieties typically provide more reliable fruit set.
Storage apples are often the late varieties, which can keep in cool, airy conditions. Some varieties also taste better after a bit of storage.
Harvest at the right time, give the tree light in the canopy (pruning), and avoid leaving damaged apples together with healthy ones during storage.
