The best apple trees to grow

Growing Apple Trees

Here’s a look at apple tree pollination, planting and protecting your trees

Growing apple trees is easy but when buying, you do need to consider pollination needs before you select your trees!

This page also deals with planting apple trees for a good start in your garden and protecting your new trees from rabbits, deer and wind.

This is the second page on growing apples. Other pages that might interest you:
Growing apples (1): The different shapes and sizes and what to choose for your site.
Growing apples (3) How to prune apple trees and disease prevention and management.

Apple tree pollination groups

The next important thing to consider before growing apple trees is the blossom groups or pollination groups.

Apple trees need to have another apple tree nearby flowering at the same time so that pollination can occur. If you live near to other people with apple trees this might solve the problem for you.

If you live where there are no nearby suitable apples or crab apples then you will need to buy young trees which are compatible. For example, if you buy one Egremont Russet, then you will need either a second Russet or a different variety which is compatible. Otherwise, a long-flowering crab apple can do the trick as they are compatible with many apple varieties.

One of the fun things about growing apple trees at home is exploring the less usual varieties.

Suffolk, where I live, has lots of venerable old apple varieties which are well worth growing. Organisations are springing up to preserve and propagate old varieties like these.

It’s also great to grow your own organic apples because you are promoting your own good health, that of your family and the long-term health of the soil.

If you consider this route to apple heaven, do take advice so that your apple trees are pollinated properly each season. Growing apple trees successfully is even more satisfying if you raise organic well-adapted stock.

Growing apple trees —
About the pollination groups

Things can get complicated here. Apple trees are divided by growers into pollination groups. Commonly they are divided into 4 or 5 main groups but there are more complicated systems which are favoured by some growers.

The main reason for these groups is because flowering occurs at different times. If you buy a group 1 pollinator and pair it up with a group 5 pollinator you are unlikely to get any fruit from either. The bees which do the work are unable to time travel!

There is some cross-over between adjacent groups and a flowering crab apple can be very useful because they often have a long flowering period.

But failing that, you do need to select new trees for growing apples quite carefully.

If you want to research some of the less common varieties and their pollination groups check out: Garden Action which has a good list of pollination groups.

More on pollination — triploid pollinators

What makes apple tree pollination sound even more complicated is that there are some trees which require two different nearby apple trees to ensure successful pollination. They are called triploid pollinators. The common cooking apple Bramley and Blenheim Orange both come into this group.

In practice, it’s usually quite easy to ensure good pollination occurs. Just get several compatible trees and place them near each other.

It’s also worth checking what trees your neighbours have; this can save you the need buy a tree just for pollination purposes. Neighbours’ trees need to be within a short distance from your orchard (20 or 30 metres or less, ideally) and the tree(s) need to be compatible.

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Growing apple trees —
How old is my new tree — and how long will it live?

When you buy stock for growing apple trees you can buy them almost ready to crop at a few years old. If you plant them carefully and look after them you should have usable fruit within two to three years. If this looks like an expensive option you can buy one year old apple trees called «maidens» more cheaply.

The downside of this is that you won’t be actually harvesting apples to eat for a few more years. If you are prepared to wait five or more years for your crops this can be a cheaper option, worth considering if you are looking to extend an already productive orchard, perhaps.

It’s also worth knowing that most of the small-rootstock trees sold in garden centres have a relatively limited lifespan. Growing apple trees on standard rootstocks — which become relatively big trees — is a good idea if you have space. Many of these trees can live for a hundred years or more.

Many of the smaller garden apple trees grown on small rootstocks may only manage ten to twenty years as productive trees. However, they are quicker to reach fruit-bearing maturity.

Having selected some suitable apple trees you next need to think about planting your tree.

Picture: Growing apple trees to provide dessert apples for your table is very rewarding. Egremont Russet is a sweet and tasty variety. This one is on a semi-dwarf rootstock.

Growing apple trees —
Planting your trees

Buy your trees in late autumn, winter or early spring. The soil should be damp but not freezing cold. Late October on is a good time in the northern hemisphere. If you plant at other times be very careful to irrigate thoroughly and keep a look out for the new plants drying out. You can sometimes find cheap trees at the end of the season in garden centres and nurseries.

Its generally not worth buying bare-rooted trees outside of the proper planting times. The risk of failure is too high. Pot-grown apple trees are a bit more forgiving but adequate irrigation is absolutely essential.

Space and light

It is important that your trees have enough space to grow and thrive and that there is plenty of available light. Other than that, planting is easy. Avoid any dubious areas, for example where old concrete has been buried. If you plant in grass you need to clear back the turf in a ring around the tree and keep it clear. Your young tree is far more likely to die in its first year if it is throttled with grass.

Dig a hole double the width of the pot that the young apple tree has grown in. Make it slightly deeper than the pot. Loosen the soil in the bottom of the hole and add a shovel full of good compost. Mix the compost into the soil.

Carefully remove the pot from the roots (you may need to turn the whole thing upside down and deliver a sharp tap with the back of a spade.) Loosen any stray root ends so that contact with the soil from the hole is made straight away.

Staking the tree

Place the apple tree into the hole and add a stake which is at least 4 feet tall. Don’t let the stake interfere with the roots. Backfill the soil and a little more compost.

Check that the new soil level around the plant does not cover the join where the tree was grafted. This is usually quite low down near the base of the plant. You do want the top of the potting compost from the plant pot to be covered because peat (the usual medium) does dry out rather quickly. Your new tree will retain moisture better if the top is covered with soil. Make sure that you tread everything down carefully so that the root ball is stable in the earth and in good contact with the soil.

Water everything copiously. The tree should be tied below where the leaves start to the post so as to stabilise it if the wind picks up. Some growers put the stake in at an angle so as to avoid the root ball. Old tights are an excellent choice for tying up young trees. They don’t have to be recognisable — just cut off a leg! They are flexible yet strong and durable.

You can buy proper tree ties which keep the space between the tree and the stake without any rubbing or undue movement. They are not particularly expensive and can be re-used.

Tree ties should not keep the tree immobile but should rather reduce wind movement to a manageable amount. Trees which are staked too rigidly may not develop their own root system to cope with wind, leaving them potentially vulnerable.

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Growing apple trees —
Protecting young apple trees from rabbits (Grr!)

Protecting young apple trees from roving wildlife and from strong winds is essential. If you have rabbits or other wildlife such as deer in the area you will need to use a tree guard. Even rabbits can be amazingly destructive to young growing apple trees. They can kill them in one night’s action!

I know because this is what happened to me. I thought my garden was rabbit-free but some got in and nibbled right around one tree and nearly destroyed a second one. I’d only just bought them! It set the less damaged tree back about two years and the other one was dead within a few days. Expensive mistake.

You will need more than a spiral plastic tree-guard if deer or other large ruminants are near your trees. Erect a wire fence at a distance which makes it impossible to reach the tree. Make sure the fencing posts are stout and well anchored in the ground.

Deer and rabbit netting is now available from Amazon.

If you have a secure border to your orchard, growing apple trees can be more straight forward. But you will still need to anchor your new trees with stakes because it can hard for the root ball to become established if there is a lot of wind buffeting.

Wind protection for apple trees

Some native species hedges around your orchard can help keep the wind down. It is no accident that many traditional orchards are found within high walls or in other secluded locations.

Tree-based wind wind protection has the advantage that the wind speed is calmed rather than completely altered. High walls can create turbulence which affects some areas behind the wall. Trees and hedges reduce strong winds for crops sheltering on the lee side.

Even with good shelter, some kind of staking is almost essential for the first few months of growth while the tree gets properly established.

Apple growing books

If you want good books about growing apple trees and related topics here are a few choices to whet your appetite.

This guy knows his onions — or rather his apples! He’s been growing them and promoting organic orchards and fruit growing in the US for years!

See more book selections from Amazon on the right side panel. I haven’t read them all — but they look good! It’s well worth having one or two good books to consult on apple growing; you can explore issues in more depth than you will find on most web pages.

Orchard apples are a delight well worth having. I hope you have some great success growing apple trees at home.

Don’t forget that in many places it is now becoming easier to set up a community orchard. See Fruit tree orchards and the community for more on this.

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How to Grow Apple Trees From Seed

Introduction: How to Grow Apple Trees From Seed

Hello! This tutorial will show you how to grow apple trees from seed.

First, here are a few things you should know:
-If you grow an apple tree from seed, it probably won’t grow the same type of tree. This is because apple seeds don’t grow true, which means that every seed is unique.

-Since you’re growing a whole new variety of apple tree, it’s possible it might take 10-15 years to actually fruit, if it even does fruit. You aren’t guaranteed that it will!

-Statistically, only about 30% of the seeds successfully germinate. And some that successfully germinate may not live long afterwards. Don’t be scared off, when I started I had around twenty seeds and after a month i ended up with only five seedlings. This is completely natural, don’t give up!

-If your trees do eventually produce fruit, you aren’t guaranteed they will taste good. Since you’ve created a whole new variety, there’s no sure way to tell!

Step 1: Germinating the Seeds

To start, you’re going to need to gather a few things:

-A plastic sandwich bag
-Somewhere cold, like a refrigerator
-Paper towel/napkins
-Apples!

First, you need to gather the apple seeds. Some apples may only have a couple, while others may have six or seven! I usually use four or five apples worth. Whatever you do, make sure not to damage the seeds, as they most likely won’t ever grow. It’s best if you cut the apple with an apple cutter, or eat the apple down to the core then split it in half with force. You can use a knife if you wish, but it might damage the seeds. Once you’ve gathered your apple seeds, make sure to wash any remains of the fruit so that they don’t rot. I find it easiest to use a small strainer, so that you don’t lose any of the seeds.

Now that your seeds are prepped and ready, you will need to prepare your paper towel. All you need to do is stick it under a faucet so it becomes slightly damp. Then you will need to squeeze most of the water out so there isn’t too much moisture. Once you’ve done that, you can place the seeds on the napkin, and then fold it up and place it inside of the sandwich bag.

Now that it’s in the sandwich bag, make sure it’s sealed up and place it inside of your refrigerator. You can expect to wait up to two months before you see any signs of growth. Essentially what you’re doing is simulating nature. When apples mature and fall from the tree, they decompose yet the seeds remain on the ground. Unless animals get to them first, they remain on the ground throughout winter. Once spring hits, the seeds come out of dormancy and start to sprout! Essentially, they’re programmed to germinate after a period of coldness. Make sure to check on them around once a week, and if any seeds start to rot, it would be best to remove them and replace the paper towel so the rest of the seeds don’t rot as well. Also keep an eye on the moisture level, if it seems a little dry you should add a small amount of water to it.

I checked on my seeds after a month, and it turns out they all sprouted! But don’t be surprised if they don’t before, or even after the first two months. If they haven’t, it’s okay! They really aren’t supposed to sprout yet. Take the bag out of the refrigerator and place it in a sunny location. South facing windowsills work best, but any sunny location will do. Blow some air into it (which creates a mini greenhouse), and then seal it up.

Leave them in the bag until they sprout. They should start sprouting within two weeks. If they haven’t all sprouted within a month and a half, the ones that haven’t probably never will. You can pitch them if you wish, or just leave them to see if they finally sprout.

Step 2: Planting the Seeds

After the seeds have sprouted, you can plant them right away. Generally, it doesn’t matter what direction you plant them in as eventually they will make their way up, but it’s best to plant them root-end down. (That little green bit poking out of the seed? That’s the root!)

It would be best to plant them individually in a cell tray, but if you wish to plant them in one pot until they’re more established that works as well! Generally you can fit three or four in a decently sized pot, just make sure they have room to grow as once you have them covered it’s best to leave them sit until they’re much more mature.

I planted mine about half an inch deep, but I wouldn’t go much further as the seeds will probably die before they finally poke out of the dirt. Keep these seedlings inside for the first month or two, as they’re quite fragile and will need some time to grow.

Step 3: Saplings!

With luck, it’s been a few months and your saplings have grown quite a bit! Now it’s time to think about planting them outside. The best time to plant them depends on when you first started the seeds. It’s generally a good idea to plant them in the spring (once all dangers of frost have passed) so that they have the whole summer to establish a good root system before winter, but it’s also alright to plant mid-summer. However I would not recommend planting any later as the cold temperatures of winter will most likely kill them if they aren’t established! If you started too late in the year, the plants should survive the winter inside. Once the saplings are a foot tall, they should be alright to plant. I would put some sort of mesh around them at first, because I learned from first-hand experience that deer enjoy the saplings quite a lot!

Now, as I originally stated, the seeds never grow true to their parent plant, so there’s no telling what kind of apple you’re going to end up with, if one at all. Most people who grow apple trees from seed are only doing so for a rootstock, which is used to graft a branch from a specific variety of tree onto to create another tree of the same fruit. If you wish to learn more about grafting, Progressive Farmer has a fantastic tutorial that can be found Here.

Enjoy your trees, and good luck!

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