Fireside Apple
Pollination & Compatibility Guide
Fireside apple pollination guide: diploid, bloom group 3, very hardy McIntosh seedling. Compatible partners, parent exclusions and cold-climate notes.
Fireside is Self-Sterile (Needs 1 Partner)
Fireside needs at least one compatible pollinizer from bloom group 2–4 to set a reliable crop.
- Chromosome Ploidy
- self sterile
- Required Companions
- 1 Diploid Partner
- Bloom Group
- Group 3 (Mid-Spring)
- Harvest Timing
- Late (-5d from Golden Delicious)
Flowering Period & Overlap Window
Apple flowering periods are classified into numbered bloom groups (1 through 6). A variety reliably cross-pollinates with cultivars in its own group or adjacent groups (±1 group).
Any compatible diploid apple flowering within Group 2 to 4 provides matching blossom overlap.
Compatible Pollination Partners (86)
| Cultivar | Bloom Group | Overlap Type | Harvest | Primary Uses | Interactive Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late Concurrent (±0d) | All-Purpose | Test Cross | |
Crimson Gold | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±5d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Mid ±5d delta | Cider, Cooking | Test Cross | |
Honeygold | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Mid ±5d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
Hudson's Golden Gem | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±5d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
Keepsake | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±5d delta | Storage, All-Purpose | Test Cross |
Kidd's Orange Red | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Mid ±5d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
King David | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±5d delta | Cider, Cooking | Test Cross |
Northwest Greening | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±5d delta | Cooking | Test Cross |
Peck's Pleasant | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Mid ±5d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±5d delta | All-Purpose, Storage | Test Cross | |
Regent | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±5d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
Suncrisp | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±5d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±5d delta | Fresh Eating, Cider | Test Cross | |
Westfield Seek-No-Further | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Mid ±5d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
Incompatible Varieties & Exclusions (20)
These varieties overlap in flowering time with Fireside but cannot fertilise it due to sterile pollen (triploids) or shared genetic incompatibility alleles.
Arkansas Black produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Ashmead's Kernel produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Baldwin produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Belle de Boskoop produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Blenheim Orange produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Bramley's Seedling produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
A sport of the same cultivar — genetically identical, so it carries the same incompatibility alleles and cannot pollinate it.
Fall Pippin produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Gravenstein produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Jonagold produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Karmijn de Sonnaville produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
A direct parent (McIntosh × Longfield) — roughly half the pollen is non-functional, so it is not a reliable partner.
Mutsu (Crispin) produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Orleans Reinette produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Ribston Pippin produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Roxbury Russet produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Spigold produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Stayman Winesap produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Tompkins King produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Zabergau Reinette produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Grower Commentary: Fireside Winter Hardiness and Sweet Dessert Fruit
Fireside is a diploid, self-sterile dessert apple released by the University of Minnesota in 1943, a cross of McIntosh and Longfield. It flowers in bloom group 3 with viable pollen, and the catalogue describes it as very hardy. McIntosh is a parent, and Connell Red is a bud sport of Fireside, so the compatibility list sets both aside rather than offering them as partners.
Harvest falls about five days before Golden Delicious in maritime north-west European conditions, and the record lists dessert and keeper uses. The fruit is a sweet dessert apple, and it stores reasonably well, which makes it a dependable fresh apple for northern farm gate sales and pick-your-own.
The main value is winter survival. In districts where hard frosts kill wood on tender varieties, a very hardy tree is a different proposition. Choose a hardy rootstock, avoid frost pockets and soft late growth, and thin to hold fruit size. Open the canopy to give even colour.
Key Orchard Considerations for Fireside
Pair a very hardy scion with a hardy rootstock and avoid soft late growth.
McIntosh is a parent and Connell Red a sport; check the partner list.
Sweet dessert fruit suits fresh farm gate and pick-your-own in cold districts.
Take Fireside from Planning to Planting
Use Kropigo's free browser tools to model your block density, tree counts, and pollinizer rows, then maintain permanent orchard records row by row.
Pollination Checker
Check Fireside against supported cultivars with compatible flowering and pollination data.
Commercial Block Planner
Calculate high-density tree spacing, row geometry, and establishment costs.
Block Record Keeping
Track pruning, chemical thinning, and harvest tallies block by block from the orchard.