Apple
Can I Grow Dorsett Golden?
Dorsett Golden is the ultimate low-chill apple — sweet, yellow, and productive even in subtropical climates. Discovered in the Bahamas, it's the essential pollination partner for Anna.
Growing Requirements
Chill Hours
100
Hardiness Zones
8-9-10
Harvest
June to July
Results
Enter your zip code to see if Dorsett Golden will thrive in your area.
You checked if it'll grow. Now make sure you remember what happens when it does.
Pruning dates, harvests, spray schedules, what worked. The gardeners who get the most from their trees are the ones who kept records.
Start your free tree logFree for up to 30 plants. No card needed.
About Dorsett Golden
Dorsett Golden is the ultimate low-chill apple — sweet, yellow, and productive even in subtropical climates. Discovered in the Bahamas, it's the essential pollination partner for Anna.
Dorsett Golden requires 100 chill hours — the number of hours between 32°F and 45°F during winter dormancy. Without enough chill, the tree may fail to flower properly or produce poor fruit.
⚠️ Common Challenges
Bland flavor compared to high-chill varieties; bruises easily and doesn't store well.
❌ Common Misconception
Will Dorsett Golden produce more fruit in colder climates?
Not necessarily. Dorsett Golden only needs 100 chill hours. Planting in very cold zones (7 or colder) risks winter damage without improving fruit production. The ideal zones are 8-10 where the tree gets enough chill without excessive cold stress.
If you plant it, write it down.
Variety, rootstock, planting date — and every pruning and harvest after that. Future you will thank you.
Free for up to 30 plants. No card needed.
Other Apple Varieties
Chill hour data from Open-Meteo Historical Weather API. Variety information compiled from university extension services.