I too want to plant one of these trees so I hope your's did well.Do you keep bees? My husband and I use to have hives. It is a very interesting hobby.

If you are in zone 5 you should have no problem with these apples. We had -40 c this year so it might be iffy. I do keep bees altho my last hive up and moved in late fall way past the swarming season. Wondered why they weren't eating their syrup and when I checked they weere all gone.I ordered 2 more Pkgs for the spring. Miss not having them plus there is nothing like fresh honey. So if my aple tree makes it I will be set.Also have a September Ruby and one with 5 different grafts on it. The deer chewed those 2 to bits so I had only a few apples last year.Oh the joys of wildlife.

Have you tried Pink Lady? I bought some at the store ,they were very good also and now I am planning on planting one of each and two crabapple trees. Do you have any suggestions about crabapples?

msbeekeeper, I see 'honey crisp' being mentioned more and more by the catalogue companies catering to the cold zones, so maybe zone 3 isn't so much of a stretch, particularly a sheltered spot which in general fruit trees prefer.

I also read that it's often not the coldest temperatures in the cold part of winter (mid jan to mid february) that harm plants, but often cold snaps that might occur, say in march when the trees are starting to bud out and wake up from dormancy. Or, if the fall weather is unusual and the plants aren't allowed to properly prepare for winter.

Having said that, however, good luck with your tree. I've read really good things about the fruit. I have a similar apple (similar in the way that it's a bit later in maturing but stores well) called September ruby and really love the sweet but slightly tart and juicy taste.

Glen

Well I hope you are right and mine will winter. It is as protected as it can be living in the country at the edge of a ravine. I do have September Ruby but so far had only 3 apples. The first year it was too young and then last winter the deer bit off all the ends. So only one apple which was really good. So far no deer around the house but the snow is getting deeper all the time so I'm sure they'll be hear soon looking for easy pickings.

I work at a "pick your own" orchard in Bruce County (close to the Lake Huron shore)- honeycrisp is the top seller. We held back a thousand lbs. for a customer appreciation event in early December and the apples coming out of storage were as crisp and good as when they were picked in late Sept - mid Oct. I ate my last one here at home in early Feb - and again with proper storage it had retained it's taste quite well. The trees here have been exposed to some wicked lake effect weather over the years and they're doing great. Good luck.

BeeKeeper - just found this thread wondering how your honeycrisp made out. Is it still alive? and if so do the apples rippen?