Growing your own apples in the back yard

Several hundred years ago in the mountains of Central Asia, early gardeners found trees that produced a fruit that would one day be grown around the world. This tree was moved from country to country by man because of its flavor, its ability to keep well in storage and its ability to grow most anywhere it was planted without much care. The Romans grew apples and propagated new varieties with grafting techniques. Early settlers in this country and abroad used crosspollination to develop new varieties and this is how the American gardener developed the Golden Delicious apple and other varieties.

Here is what you will need to consider if you are thinking of growing apple trees in your yard this year. First and most important is location! By location I mean an area with FULL SUN all day. Do not kid yourself: the tree will grow in partial shade, but it will never produce the fruit it is capable of. Next is air circulation around the tree, to prevent possible early frost damage to the tree that is in bloom. Circulation of air around the tree will also minimize disease problems during the growing season, but avoid windy locations. Also, if you have the choice of planting on top or the bottom of a slope, always choose the top of the slope as cold air will always move downhill and cause problems early in the growing season.

Drainage is also very important. Your trees should never be planted in soils that will have standing water during the winter and early spring. The soil should be fertile, well drained, slightly acidic, and as deep and rich as possible. Soils that are alkaline and shallow will make the tree struggle.

Here is how to plant your tree this spring. Begin by digging a hole 2 feet deep and as wide as possible. If your soil is not good, dig the hole bigger so you can backfill the hole with conditioned soil when you plant. Use compost and animal manure to condition the soil around the plant. I also add Soil Moist granules, to help hold moisture around the young root system to help get it off to a better start during the heat of summer. Also use the new technology in soil science and add mycorrhizae-enhanced products when planting to stimulate root development.

All fruit trees should be staked at the time they are planted to help keep them in place during windy days and prevent root damage by the wind. Stakes should be left on the trees for 2 years to insure good root development. When you place the soil around the roots of the plant in the hole, firm it in place, but never stamp it down. Cover the planting bed with 2 to 3 inches of bark mulch around the plant to keep out weeds and help retain moisture during the heat of summer. This planting bed will also prevent damage to the trunk of the tree by your lawn mower or weed whacker when you care for the lawn in your yard.

Water regularly for the first year right up to the time the leaves fall from the plant in the fall--water is that important to plant growth. Spring and early fall are also the perfect times to fertilize your tree until it is well established and producing fruit.

Use a slow release fertilizer like Plant-Tone for uniform growth above and below the ground on the plant. Also very important is to add a ring or collar of hardware cloth wire around the trunk of the plant to prevent rodent damage. Make the wire covering a good inch away from the trunk and push it into the ground 1 to 2 inches deep to keep all types of animals away from the tender and sweet-tasting bark. The wire should be 2 to 3 feet high and remain around the plant for 3 to 5 years if you have animal problems on your property.

The type of tree you select will depend on the amount of work you desire and the room you have on your property. The most popular types are standard growing trees that will grow 25 feet tall and wide, semi-dwarf trees that will grow 15 feet tall and wide and the dwarf trees that will grow under 10 feet tall and wide. Taller growing trees require more maintenance, more time by you, and better equipment--but produce more fruit. Semi-dwarf trees will be easier to maintain and you will not have to leave the ground to perform the maintenance; great for smaller spaces. Dwarf trees can be grown in a container or garden and are very easy to maintain but produce less fruit, so you'd need to plant more trees.

Plan a spraying program for your trees if you want good fruit and foliage from the tree. This will begin--before the flowers open--with an application of, Hi-Yield Lime-Sulfur to kill off disease spores that overwintered on the plant. I also apply it in the fall when all the foliage has fallen from the tree. At the same time, apply Bonide All-Season Oil to kill any overwintering insect eggs on the tree, both in the fall and spring. During the growing season, use a fruit tree spray every other week to keep problems under control.

New this year is a systemic foliage insect control for fruit trees to keep most all insects off the tree. The product, made by Bayer Advanced and called Fruit, Citrus and Vegetable Insect Control, will offer season-long protection without spraying! It will kill insects and prevent new infections; rainproof protection won't wash off. This product stays only in the foliage and will not enter the fruit.

Here is a trick to accurately time your first applications of fruit tree spray to make it more effective and have better control. Buy 2 plastic red apples with stems on them and tie a piece of string to them. Tie the apples on your fruit tree branch, at eye level and coat them with a thin layer of Vaseline. The red apple will become an insect monitor and when insects arrive, they will be drawn to the red apple. The insects will get stuck on it, telling you it is now time to apply your fruit tree spray and begin the spraying program. This idea was developed at the University of Massachusetts in 1970 by my Orchard Planning teacher, James E. Anderson, and our class--and it helped get him his Doctorate. Today it is used in all orchards across the country and because of this, LESS pesticide is used to grow your apples.

If you're going to do this right, get yourself a good book on growing fruit trees. I recommend The Backyard Orchardist by Stella Otto. Learn all the tricks of the trade from a family-run business that specializes in fruit trees for a living. Planting, pruning, varieties, and harvesting--it's all there and easy to read and understand.

Apples have been around for a long time--it all began with Adam and Eve, so be careful what you eat! Apples are the Tree of Knowledge, The Tree of Life, and in this country it all began as a movement in Leominster, Massachusetts by John Chapman in 1774. John, a pioneer nurseryman better known as Johnny Appleseed, planted thousands of apple trees from New England to Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. John was a pioneer and a gardener credited as the inventor of the modern apple; not a fairy tale, but a true person.

Americans eat 19 pounds of apples a year, that's just one apple per week on average and this fruit is Americans' favorite. Think "Mom and Apple Pie." An apple a day does keep the doctor away, as it helps to slow cholesterol plaque build-up, improves brain health and reduces the risk of heart disease. Just because Snow White got a bad apple, do not stop eating apples and apple products; you will be healthier.

Here are a few more apple quotes to remember and I am sure you have heard them before. "The apple does not fall far from the tree." "One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch." "As American as apple pie." Washington is the apple state, the number one producer of apples. If you watched the Wizard of Oz, the bad apple trees did throw apples at the Scarecrow and Dorothy. This spring, plant an apple tree and enjoy your garden. Enjoy!

Apples, Apples, Apples

MCINTOSH:

This is a crispy red apple with bright white flesh and a refreshing sweet flavor. It is the number I selling apple in the northeast. The apple is crispy and filled with juice making it the perfect snack for the fall.

McIntosh apples originated from Saint Lawrence valley of Canada

Introduced in 1820

Bright red skin with a bit of green and a bright white flesh

Fruit size is small, medium, and large

Great for fresh eating, and cooking

It will store for a month or more when kept cool

CORTLAND

One of the more successful McIntosh off springs. Cortland has all the usual characteristics, including sweetness and marvelous flavor. Nice colorful apple that is crispy and filled with juice making it perfect for snacks for the fall. Cortland originated from Geneva, New York research center

Introduced in 1915

Bright red and yellow skin with white flesh

Fruit size is medium, and large

Great for fresh eating and cooking

GOLDEN DELICIOUS

Undoubtedly one of the most important apple varieties of the 20 th century, both as a commercial crop and in its own right as a breeding stock for many other varieties for good and flavorful fruit in the home grown market.

Golden Delicious originated in West Virginia

Introduced in 1890

Bright golden yellow skin with white to cream flesh

Fruit size is medium to large

Great for fresh eating and cooking

RED DELICIOUS

This is one of the most famous American Apple varieties, a sport of the Delicious apple known for its bright red color and unusual shape. The fruit is flavorful and crunchy when eaten fresh.

Originated in Madison County, Iowa

Introduced in 1880

 Bright red skin with white to cream flesh

Fruit size is medium to large

Great for fresh eating and cooking

Harvest late in the season

MACOUN

Another Mac apple style variety hybrid for flavor and considered one of the better American apples today. A firm apple, great for snacks and its Flavor is very unique and tasty.

Originated in Geneva, New York research station

Introduced in 1920

Bright red and yellow skin with white to light green flesh

Fruit is medium to large

Harvest late in the season

Great for fresh eating

HONEY CRISP

Honey Crisp is a crispy and predominantly sweet modern variety from the U.S. This apple is specifically grown for a cold climate market and cold northern states. It is the best apple for a cold climate. Good flavor, sweet to taste, and nice and juicy.

Originated in Minnesota by the University of Minnesota

Introduced in 1960

Red and yellow skin with white to cream color flesh

Medium to large fruit

Harvest mid to late in the season

Great for fresh eating

JONATHAN

A classic American Apple and widely regarded as one of the best. Jonathan is very Flavorful with good sweet and sharp tasting apple. The tree is precocious and productive tree in the U.S.

Originated in Connecticut

Introduced in 1808

Bright red and yellow skin with white flesh

Small to medium size fruit

Harvest in late season

NORTHERN SPY

This apple is widely grown, an American apple Heirloom variety with very large fruit and firm flesh. The apple is very aromatic and has high vitamin C content. Trees grow well in a cold climate. One of my favorite apples.

Originated in Rochester, New York

Introduced in 1840

Fruit is beautiful and streaked with bands of red and yellow

The flesh is white to cream in color

This is a big apple and fruit get very large

Great for eating fresh, cooking, juice or cider

Harvest late in the season

 BALDWIN

A very popular old American apple variety and widely grown for the culinary market. This is one of the original apples eaten by the colonies during the 1700's and it is a great winter storage apple. Great flavor and sweet tasting fruit come from this tree.

Origin is Boston, Massachusetts

Introduced in 1750

The skin of the fruit is red and yellow and the fruit is white to cream in color

The fruit is medium to large

Harvest late in season

Great apple for fresh eating, cooking and juice or cider

JONAGOLD

This apple is very good and popular apple for eating and commercial use. Its good flavor was inherited and its good qualities from its parents Jonathan and Golden Delicious. Eaten fresh it is sweet and sharp to taste.

Originated in Geneva, New York research center

Introduced 1943

The skin is bright red and yellow with white to cream flesh

The fruit size is large

Great for fresh eating, cooking, juice, and Hard Cider

Harvest late in the season

EMPIRE

Empire is one of the best McIntosh hybrids apples, with a good sweet flavor and very easy to grow. Its parents are McIntosh and Delicious and Empire has all its best traits including taste.

Originated in Geneva, New York research center

Introduced in 1945

The skin is red and yellow with a nice white to cream flesh

The fruit is small to medium in size

Wonderful for fresh eating

GRANNY SMITH

This is the most recognized apple in the world because of its shape and unique color. The Granny Smith apple is Perhaps Australia most famous export. It is also sold all over the world, no other apple can claim that.

Originated in Australia

Introduced in 1860

The skin is bright green and the flesh is white

The fruit size is uniform and medium

Eat it fresh, or cook with it to enjoy its sweet flavor

Harvest late in the season

GALA

One of the most widely grown apple variety that we have today and it has a sweet and pleasant flavor. It is one of the best winter keeper apples that we have today. If you never had one you should and it is the number 2 selling apple in the world. Gala is a cross between Golden Delicious and Kidd's Orange Red.

Originated in New Zealand

Introduced in 1940

The skin is red and yellow and the flesh is white to cream

The fruit is medium in size

Great for eating, and juice

Harvest mid to late in the season

COX ORANGE PIPPIN

This is the benchmark in apples and from a good tree, in a good year it can achieve exceptional flavor. This is one of the first apples from Europe to be brought into the U.S., also a good partner to use to produce new varieties of apples.

Origin is England

Introduced in 1825

The skin is yellow with red streaks and the flesh is white

The fruit is small to medium

Great for fresh eating, juice and hard cider

Harvest in mid to late season

LADY APPLES

The lady apple is an old French apple variety with good aromatic flavor and many decorative uses as the fruit is small. The flavor is very good and has many uses in the kitchens. This is one of the oldest apples known to man.

Originated in Bretagne, France

Introduced 1628

The skin is red and green with pure white flesh

The fruit is small, less than 2 inches

Eat these apples fresh, cooking and juice and cider

Harvest in late season

FUJI

Fuji was developed in Japan but it's an all American cross of Red Delicious and Rolls Janet. A very attractive modern apple that is crisp, sweet, and full of flavor. One of the best eating apples we have today.

Originated in Japan

Introduced in 1962

The skin is red and yellow with white flesh

The fruit is medium in size

Eat fresh for its flavor

Harvest very late in the season

Fruit will keep for 3 months or more

"An apple a day, keeps the Doctor away"

The original quote is:

 "Eat an apple on going to bed and you will keep the Doctor from earning his bread"

Notes and Queries Magazine from Wales February 1866

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