How I Grew Organic Apples in My Backyard

It was winter, and I was poring over the garden catalogs like every year. "Maybe we should plant a tree," I mused.

"Mom," said my four-year-old daughter, "I want an apple tree."

"We'll see," I said. But she kept talking about it, so I did some research.

It turns out that the keys to successfully growing apple trees in your backyard are choosing the right trees and putting them in the right location. If you take care with these two steps, the trees will, like mine, produce good crops once they become established.

The first thing I did was order some catalogs from the major specialty growers, Miller Nursery and Stark Brothers. These firms specialize in woody plants (trees, shrubs, and vines) that grow fruits. In general, I recommend ordering from a specialized grower, as opposed to purchasing from a generic garden center or Home Depot. You'll have have many more options, and get trees that are less likely to have been mishandled.

I learned through these catalogs, and through web sites like All About Apples, that spraying is common. I wasn't up for that. To reduce or eliminate the need to spray, I decided to buy the most disease resistant apples I could find. In general, highly disease resistant apples are often newer hybrids, as opposed to "heirloom" varieties.

Another consideration in the choice of tree is pollination. Most apples, except for those described as self-pollinating, need to be pollinated by a different, nearby variety. If you plant two apple trees of the same variety, you may not get a crop. If you plant only one apple tree that is not self-pollinating, you will also get no apples. Even self-pollinating apple trees will produce more apples with a second apple tree of a different variety.

If you only have space for one tree, plant a self-pollinating apple tree. Another choice is to find someone in your neighborhood that also wants to grow apples, and work with them to plant trees that will pollinate each other.

Another reason I recommend ordering from a specialist nursery is that Miller Nurseries and Stark Brothers tell you, in their catalogs and on their web sites, which varieties will pollinate one another. Stark Brothers even sells compatible varieties together as "collections."

If you are ordering for your back yard, look for dwarf (6 to 10 feet tall) or semi-dwarf (15 feet tall) apple trees. I grow a dwarf Goldrush apple tree and a semi-dwarf Jonafree apple tree, both from Stark Brothers, with good crops most years.

Pruning is important to get your trees off to a good start. If possible, ask the grower to pre-prune the trees for you the first year. This is usually inexpensive and will get the trees off to a better start. After that, you will need to prune the trees annually the first few years. Follow instructions for pruning in a good book on growing fruits and vegetables. My references are the Midwest Fruit and Vegetable Book and Pruning Simplified.

When your trees arrive, they will look like dead sticks. This is described in catalogs as "bare root." It's important to plant as soon as possible, and to prepare the site before the trees are scheduled to arrive. The trees may also be dried out from shipping. I always rehydrate my bare-root trees and shrubs by soaking them in a bucket of water for a few hours before planting. Don't worry; the bare root trees are dormant, not dead. They will "leaf out" after planting.

You can then follow the instructions from the grower that will come with the tree, or any of the numerous instructions for planting a tree on the Internet, such as these. The most important factor in getting a good crop, however, is not how the apple tree is planted but where it is planted. To produce apples, the apple trees must have as much sun as possible. You will need to find a spot in your yard where they can get at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight every day.

Once you've planted your tree, it's very important to water well and often. I like to bring the end of the hose to the base of the tree, turn on a small stream of water, and let the water drip into the ground for at least 15 to 30 minutes. This is less wasteful, and more effective, than using a sprinkler. I water my young trees at least once a week if we have not gotten an inch of rainfall.

Growing apples requires back yard gardeners to be patient. You will probably get no apples at all the first year. The second year, the crop will be very small. Starting in the third or fourth year, the tree will produce good crops.

Finally, don't expect all your apples to look like those at the grocery store. Though you will get some pretty eating apples, many organic apples are imperfectly shaped, spotted, or otherwise ugly. With the ugly apples, you can do what the professionals do and make applesauce. It's easier than you think, and it freezes well.