Red McIntosh Apple Tree

Malus domestica

Needs a partner

Tangy, tender and aromatic. Excellent for applesauce.

#7 container
About 1.25" caliper

$88each, pay at pickup

Reserve

Pick up in Pittsgrove, NJ, typically in March. Pay cash, check, Venmo or PayPal at pickup.

McIntosh is the tangy, aromatic, tender-fleshed apple that's been a Northeast staple for more than a century. It cooks down quickly, which makes it one of the best apples for applesauce.

‘Red McIntosh’ is a selection with better red color. McIntosh prefers cooler summers; here it ripens a little earlier and softer, but the flavor is still classic Mac.

Cortland, its own offspring, is a natural partner.

McIntosh was found by John McIntosh in Ontario in the early 1800s. Ripe apples tend to drop, so pick promptly.

How it tastes

Tangy-sweet and very aromatic, with the spicy, wine-like ‘Mac’ flavor. The flesh is tender and juicy and cooks down into smooth sauce.

At a glance

You get: #7 container, about 1.25" caliper (trunk thickness 6 inches above the soil; each tree varies a little)
Hardiness zones: USDA 4–8 (best in cooler summers) (Salem County is 7)
Blooms: Early to mid season
Ripens: Late August to early September
Starts bearing: Usually 2–4 years after planting
Mature size: Depends on rootstock; ask us
Pollination: Needs a partner
Botanical name: Malus domestica
Price: $88 each, paid at pickup
Pickup: Pittsgrove, NJ, typically in March

The fruit

Looks: Small to medium, red over green, tender white flesh
Flavor: Tangy and aromatic
Best for: Fresh, Sauce, Cider
Keeps: A couple of months cold, but it softens

Pollination

Needs a different apple (or a flowering crabapple) blooming nearby. Any of the partners below will do it.

Good partners from our list

Cortland Apple Tree$88 · view details

Honeycrisp Apple Tree$88 · view details

Red Delicious Apple Tree$88 · view details

Growing tips

Watch for: Very susceptible to apple scab; also fire blight and mildew. Very resistant to cedar-apple rust

Full sun (at least 6–8 hours) and soil that drains well. Avoid low spots where water sits in spring.
Mature size depends on the rootstock the tree is grafted onto. Ask us if space is tight.
Water deeply once a week through the first summer, more often in heat waves.
Pick off all fruit for the first two years. After that, thin the young fruit to one apple per cluster in early summer for bigger apples and a crop every year.
Prune in late winter while the tree is dormant to open up the center to light and air.

Spray schedule: Apple Pest Control Schedule for New Jersey Home Orchards (Rutgers Cooperative Extension, fact sheet FS112)

New to planting fruit trees? Read our step-by-step planting guide: square hole, graft above the soil, native soil, and no fruit for the first two years.

Photos show the variety, not the exact plant you’ll get. Reservations are for the 2027 season, picked up at our farm in Pittsgrove, NJ, typically in March, and aren’t guaranteed until we confirm them. Questions? Ask us or call or text (856) 345‑4538.