Apple Orchard Maintenance | Minnesota

Starting & Caring For An Apple Orchard In Minnesota, Michigan, And Wisconsin

Here we will cover the following topics; ways to start an Apple Orchard, planting bare root whips, caring for your apple trees, purchasing root stock, & collecting scion-wood.

Starting An Apple Orchard

To start an apple orchard you can begin with less than one acre or start with a much large parcel. But how fast you want to start getting fruit will determine how you will develop your orchard. If you have the time, you may want to consider starting by collecting apple scions, purchasing your own apple root stock, and raising your own trees. This will require 2 extra years in developing your apple orchard as these new root stocks will need to be raised in a protected area until they are large enough to transplant. If time is an issue and cost not a concern then you can purchase 5/8″ bare root transplants and get your apple orchard producing fruit within 2-3 years, depending on if you plant dwarf, semi-dwarf, or Standard Apple Trees.

Dwarf, Semi-Dwarf, or Standard Trees

When starting an Orchard you need to consider how long it will take to get fruit, how much land you have, how big of a trees you are interested in, and how long each type of tree will produce good fruit. If you have deer you will need to add fencing to protect your trees, especially if they are dwarfs. For Semi-dwarfs and standard trees the fencing can be removed once the trees are 3-4 inches in diameter and 10 feet tall.