I do not have any Northern Spy because I had read that they are a notoriously late-maturing variety, especially on standard rootstock. My knowledge of them from childhood memories of my grandmother's orchard are that they do not hang long on the tree after ripe, and tend to fall early. Grandma's trees were very old and regular producers in Zone 5 of mid-Michigan (not an apple-friendly zone due to late spring frosts). I could be wrong on the hanging and falling times because Grandma never sprayed her apples so they often fell due to insect damage. I grow Spigold, a cross between Northern Spy and Golden Delicious.