Growing Apples in Texas
Apple trees can be grown throughout Texas, but in order to decide which apple tree will produce in your garden, the chill hours for both the growing area and the apple tree are needed.
What are Chill Hours? The number of hours, per year, that are between 32 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit (we consider all hours below 45 degrees and it has worked so far!).
Chill hours where you live. Find the Chill Hours for the USDA zones where you live. For example, we are in zone 8b where there are 420 to 700 chill hours each year.
Chill hours required by the apple tree. This number must be within the range for your area. Example apple varieties include; Anna (200-300), Pink Lady (400-600), Granny Smith (400 or less), and McIntosh (900+ chill hours).
Which apples will grow in Zone 8b? We are in zone 8b, so from the chill hours discussed in the varieties above, the McIntosh apple may grow but will not produce apples in Zone 8b. We have great success with Anna Apple and are trying both Pink Lady and Granny Smith (planted this year, late winter) so we will find out if the apples produce next year or the year after, depending on how well the trees themselves grow.
These are the Anna variety apples that were harvested this year. Because we do not use any chemicals (no pesticides, herbicides, or wax coatings on the apples), they have odd spots and colors are not “picture perfect”. However, the flavor is amazing, and there
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