Skip to content
EveryOrchard
Menu

Apple variety

Beacon

The short answer

Beacon needs a pollination partner[1]. The sourced figures are below — where nothing is published we say so, and any estimate is clearly labeled as ours.

Growing facts

Beacon growing facts
Chill requirement800–1,000 chill hours (our estimate — no published figure)
HardinessNot published for this variety
PollinationNeeds a pollination partner[1]
Harvest windowAugust[2]
Years to bearing4–5 years (typical for apples)[3]
AppearanceBright red apple with soft, juicy flesh[2]
USDA pomological watercolor of Beacon apple
Malus domestica: BeaconUSDA pomological watercolor, Mary Daisy Arnold, 1938 · USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection

Plate provenance[4]

Pollination partners

Plant another Apple variety with an overlapping bloom time nearby.

Notes

  • A cold-hardy 1936 U of M release; an early, bright-red summer apple. Ripens mid- to late August.[2]
  • Susceptible to fire blight.[5]

A year with your Beacon

When the work happens for an apple in USDA zone 6, anchored to typical frost dates.

Months for pruning, thinning, spray-timing windows, and harvest for Apple in zone 6
TaskJFMAMJJASOND
Prune—————————
Thin——————————
Spray timing——————
Harvest——————————
Care———————————

See the full month-by-month apple calendar for zone 6 →

Growing a Beacon? Get its care calendar for your exact ZIP code, with email reminders.

Save this tree in My Orchard

Questions

Is Beacon self-pollinating?
No — Beacon needs a compatible pollination partner nearby.

Sources

  1. [1] University of Minnesota Extension. Growing apples in the home garden — accessed July 2026
  2. [2] University of Minnesota (Minnesota Hardy / Horticultural Research Center). All University of Minnesota Apple Varieties — Minnesota Hardy — accessed July 2026
  3. [3] Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. How soon will a newly planted fruit tree begin to bear fruit? (Yard and Garden FAQ) — accessed July 2026
  4. [4] USDA National Agricultural Library. USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection (Rare and Special Collections, 1886-1942) — accessed July 2026
  5. [5] eXtension Foundation (Apple community, Cooperative Extension). Table of Apple Cultivar Fire Blight Susceptibility — accessed July 2026