Apple - 'Sweet Sixteen' Apple Tree
Exotic yellow flesh with a crisp and juicy, sweet, spicy cherry candy flavor make 'Sweet Sixteen' an apple not to be forgotten. With a storage life between 5 and 8 weeks and a harvest of mid-late September, the fruit can be enjoyed well into late autumn months and cold weather. Best as a fresh eating apple, applesauce or baked desserts that don't require visual appeal as it doesn't hold it's shape under heat. The advantage to it's very sweet flavor, is that 'Sweet Sixteen' delivers enough sweetness that favorite recipes don't require as much sugar as needed with other apple varieties.
The tree is very vigorous and it's white blossoms are very fragrant in spring and last a long time on the branch before fruiting adding to ornamental appeal.
Like other University of Minnesota cultivars, 'Sweet Sixteen' is cold hardy and should be grown in zones 3-6. It grows to about 22 feet tall and wide for a standard rootstock but dwarf varieties are much smaller spreading only about 6-8 feet and getting about that same height. This tree requires full sunlight and a moist, well-drained soil with a layer of mulch covering the surface for moisture retention, etc. Fruit may be subject to premature drops so be on the lookout for harvest timing and plant in a protected spot from heavy winds. It will need a pollinator, so choose from 'Cortland', 'Dolgo', 'Freedom', 'Fuji', 'Gala', 'Ginger Gold', 'Golden Delicious', 'Haralson', 'Honeycrisp', 'Jonathon', 'Keepsake', 'Lady', 'McIntosh', 'Pixie Crunch', 'SnowSweet', and 'Wealthy'.