Altitude, Attitude & Apples

​It may come as a surprise to peach lovers and visitors from New York and Washington State but Colorado is an apple state. Apple trees need a combination of hot and cold weather to produce fruit, making them a natural for Colorado but growing fruit at 6,000 feet, or more, is not without its challenges.
Most apple trees like to have winter at temperatures below 40 degrees to encourage them to set fruit. Then they need at least five to six hours of full sun a day once they've blossomed.  Apple trees also blossom later than some other types of fruit trees, making them more likely to avoid a killing frost.  Many types of apple trees are hardy at our elevation of 6100 +/- feet, making it difficult to choose a favorite.
During a recent visit with Bob Morris out at Red Mountain Ranches we spent some time enjoying the view from his summer office on the porch and ‘talkin’ apples’.  (read more)