Garden Sweet

Apple

USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection

Garden Sweet

Origin/History

A New England apple. (Downing)

Tree

Hardy, thrifty, and productive. Young shoots strong, light reddish brown, slightly downy. (Downing; Thomas concurs on hardiness and productivity.)

Fruit

Size and Form: Medium, roundish oblong conic. (Downing; Thomas: medium, oblong — consistent.)

Stem: Rather short and small. (Downing)

Cavity: Acute. (Downing)

Calyx: Closed; segments partially recurved. (Downing)

Basin: Large, abrupt, corrugated. (Downing)

Skin: Yellow, shaded and splashed with crimson nearly over the whole surface; many light and gray dots. (Downing; Thomas notes yellow ground color, consistent but less detailed.)

Flesh/Flavor: Yellowish white, tender, juicy, rich, sweet. Quality rated Very good (Downing); Thomas rates it good — both sources agree on the tender, juicy, sweet character.

Core: Medium. (Downing)

Season

September and October. (Both sources agree.)

Uses

A valuable variety for cooking or stock feeding, continuing a long time in use. (Downing)

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

The Thomas entry concludes with the fragment "sub-" and appears truncated; whatever qualification was intended cannot be recovered from the available text.

Book Sources

Described in 2 period pomological works

View original book sources (2)

Garden Sweet.

A New England Apple. Tree hardy, thrifty, and productive. Young shoots strong, light reddish brown, slightly downy.

Fruit medium, roundish oblong conic. Color yellow, shaded and splashed with crimson nearly over the whole surface, many light and gray dots. Stalk rather short and small. Cavity acute. Calyx closed. Segments partially recurved. Basin large, abrupt, corrugated. Flesh yellowish white, tender, juicy, rich, sweet. Very good. Core medium. September and October. A valuable variety for cooking or stock feeding, continuing a long time in use.

— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)

Garden Sweet. Medium, oblong, yellow; juicy, tender, sweet, good. September, October. Hardy and productive. sub-

— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)