- Beautiful Red Fruit & Burgundy Red Stipes
- Tart & Tangy & Sweet Apples
- Crisp, Juicy Creamy White Flesh
- Early Fruit Harvest
- Medium Sized Fruit
- Pinkish Buds Open to White Blooms
- Fragrant Flowers Attracts Pollinators
- Ripens in August
- Fast-Growing
- High Yield!
- Keeps in Storage Months!
- 500-700 Chill Hours
The Buckeye® Gala Apple tree (Malus x ‘Buckeye Gala’) has been a favorite apple variety for over 50 years. Why? They’re a tasty choice for both the backyard and commercial grower. As its name implies, the Buckeye Gala Apple originated in Ohio and is now grown across the globe.
The Buckeye Gala colors early, even in some shade, and because of their uniform coloration, they are good candidates for single picking. A full red apple, with possible deeper burgundy-red stripes. It will even color well when shaded. The creamy white-yellow flesh is a beautiful contrast to the deep red skin.
The Buckeye Gala has small to medium-size fruit, ranging between 3 and 4 inches. The flesh is crisp, fine-textured, juicy, and sweet, with just a little more tang than other varieties of Gala. As far as storage, you can expect them to stay fresh for months after harvest.
Buckeye® Gala Apple trees grow rapidly and bear regularly, so you will get a dependable crop sooner than many other varieties. The Buckeye Gala also grows well in hotter climates where other apple varieties may struggle.
The Buckeye Gala’s apples ripen early (about 3 weeks before Red Delicious will be ready). They also provide good yields, so stock up on apple recipes, because you’ll have plenty of fruit to use in your culinary adventures.
The Buckeye Gala’s fertile pollen is a gift that keeps on giving. It can be used to pollinate other mid-season varieties. It can also take advantage of mid-season pollinators, such as Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, and Vista Bella, but not Gala sports and Golden sports.
How to Use Buckeye® Gala Apple In The Landscape
There is absolutely nothing that tastes as nice as homegrown fruit. Gala is the go-to sweet apple, adapted to a very wide range of climates. These trees are strong, semi-upright, and look great in any yard.
Homesteaders, urban foodies and clean eating proponents alike can feel happy about the high fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins A and C found naturally in apples. If you’ve considered growing your own fruit tree, the Gala comes highly recommended.
An all-purpose dessert apple, it’s good for fresh eating, for salads, and for divine applesauce. It keeps its shape during baking. Add other firm varieties to pump up the depth of flavor in baked goods.
The Buckeye® Gala is a great variety to add a sugary, fresh flavor to an apple juice blend. Press with Granny Smith, of other tart cider apples, to bring up the sweetness of your juice blend.
The lovely blossoms and the great size of this tree mean it’s perfect for dual-purpose edible landscaping! Add one to your front yard as a beautiful specimen tree, or use it to shade your garden beds and patio!
Tips For Care
You will want to choose a full sun spot to plant your Buckeye® Gala Apple. They prefer well-drained soil with a loamy composition. Provide consistent access to moisture and regular watering during drought.
As with all apple varieties, these prefer slightly acidic, well-drained soil with a pH between 6.0 to 6.5. However, it will tolerate wetter, heavy clay soils.
One of the most attractive qualities is its wide range of adaptability! They’ll grow well and produce a sweet crisp apple in the low chill climates of growing zones 8. However, they are also very productive in the higher chill climates of hardiness zone 5.
It’s easy to keep your tree prune to remain at a safe picking height. Simply plan to do summer pruning to keep your tree to a reasonable height, say 6 – 8 feet tall.
By adding the Buckeye Gala Apple tree to your orchard or yard, you will have a great-tasting and steady producing tree for years to come. It’s no wonder the Buckeye Gala is the apple of so many apple lovers’ eyes.
