Apple trees are best pruned in winter when they are dormant. Young apple trees can grow narrow and erect or open and spreading. At maturity, the apple tree will be spreading. Prune young narrow and erect apple trees by cutting branches just above buds which are pointed away from the center of the tree. Prune…
Apples
How to Choose an Apple Tree for Planting
Before you buy and plant an apple tree consider the following: ■ Space to grow and form of the tree. How much space do you have? This will determine the form of the tree you choose. ■ Size of tree and type of rootstock. What size tree will fit the space? The ultimate size of…
How to Grow Apples
The apple is a hardy, deciduous woody perennial tree that grows in all temperate zones. Apples grow best where there is cold in winter, moderate summer temperatures, and medium to high humidity. There are apples for fresh eating, some for cooking, and some for preserving. Some apples are sweet and some are tart. Some apples…
Apples: Kitchen Basics
Apples for eating out of hand, apples for baking and cooking, apples for sauce and juice, apples to serve with savory dishes and apples for dessert: there is an apple for every use. Apples that ripen early, apples that ripen mid-season, and apples that ripen late for eating right into winter: there is an apple…
Thinning Apples
Too many apples? Sometimes, yes. The best way to get large, delicious apples is thinning the crop. Thinning Apple Basics Thin the fruit to a distance of twice the diameter of the fruit at maturity. If you expect the mature apples to be 3-inches across, leave 6 inches between each apple after thinning. If you’re…
Apple Harvest Time by Variety
The apple is the most widely grown fruit. Apple trees grow everywhere except in the very hottest and very coldest regions of the world. Apples vary from crisp to soft, from juicy to dry, from acid or insipid to bitter, bland, or aromatic. Apples can range in color from green to gold to yellow to…
Winter or Late-Season Apple Varieties
There are more than 7,000 varieties of apples but not all of them come to harvest at the same time. In the course of a year, there are actually three apple harvests: an early-season harvest, a mid-season harvest, and a late-season harvest. The harvest for early-season apple varieties begins in mid-summer and peaks in late…
