Puget Gold

Apricot

Size

Medium to large, elongated

Shape

Elongated; tangerine-orange skin, orange flesh

Flavor

Buttery-sweet, intense apricot flavor

Texture

Freestone, firm

Ripening window

Early-mid August

Best uses

Fresh eating, canning, preserves

Pollination

Self-fertile - no pollinator needed, though yields increase with cross-pollination

Tree size

~15 ft, naturally compact growth habit

Notes

Released by Washington State University, bred specifically for the Pacific Northwest's cool, wet spring conditions and short, cool summers - explicitly described as setting fruit "where all other varieties fail" in that climate. Multiple sources caution it needs the hottest available microclimate even within the maritime PNW, and doesn't do well in heavy, humid, cold, or calcareous soils; one grower forum reported a high failure rate even in Seattle-area plantings. No source found recommending or testing it in hot-humid Texas/Southeast conditions - combined with its PNW-specific breeding purpose, this reads as a likely weak climate fit for Oak Point relative to the other apricots here. Chill requirement 600-700 hours; WSU's own release literature specifies zone 5, notably colder-oriented than the zone 5-9 range some retailers list.