Apple trees are a classic addition to any homestead or backyard. The scent of their blossoms in spring and the crunch of a fresh-picked apple in fall are nostalgic pleasures. If you’re considering planting apple trees, a key question is: how many do you really need? The ideal number can vary based on your space, harvest goals, and other factors. In this article, we’ll explore how to determine the right quantity of trees for a productive home orchard.
Why Grow Your Own Apples?
Before deciding how many trees to plant it’s helpful to review the many benefits of growing your own apples
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Convenient access to ultra-fresh, ripe apples – no more flavorless grocery store varieties! You can pick them straight from the branch at perfect ripeness.
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You control what if any pesticides and chemicals are used on your fruit crop. You can go completely organic if desired.
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Exposure to a wider variety of apple types beyond the few common commercial varieties. Heirlooms, cider apples, antiques – the choices are abundant.
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Gorgeous spring blossoms and lovely autumn foliage provide seasonal interest in your landscape.
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Kids love picking apples right from the tree! It’s a great way to educate them about where food comes from.
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Dwarf apple trees can thrive in small spaces, even in containers on a patio. You don’t need acreage to have an orchard.
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Preserve your bountiful harvest through canning, baking, drying, freezing, and jams. Enjoy apple goodness year-round!
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Tree-ripened local apples can be pricey to buy; grow your own and save money.
Factors That Determine How Many Trees You Need
As you decide how many apple trees to incorporate, keep these considerations in mind:
Pollination Needs
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Unlike some fruits, apples cannot self-pollinate. They require cross-pollination between varieties. Planting multiple compatible types ensures good pollination.
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As a rule of thumb, aim to plant at least 2 different apple cultivars within 100 feet of each other for fruit set.
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Alternatively, an apple tree paired with 1-2 crabapples can also provide viable pollen.
Desired Harvest Amount
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How many apples do you hope to harvest? Just enough for fresh eating, or do you also want to preserve applesauce, pies and more?
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Calculate your family’s yearly apple consumption to estimate needed yields. Mature standards can produce 500 lbs per tree!
Available Planting Space
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Dwarf trees can be planted close together or even in pots. Full-size standards require much more room to spread.
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Make sure to space trees appropriately – overcrowding stresses plants and reduces yields.
Pest and Disease Resilience
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Some apple varieties are prone to scab, cedar apple rust, and other problems. Allow for potential losses by planting extra trees.
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Select resistant cultivars or plan to manage diseases/pests through organic sprays.
Intended Uses
- Are you growing apples mostly for fresh eating, baking, sauces, cider, or a mix of uses? This may guide your variety selection.
What’s the Ideal Number of Trees?
Now that we’ve covered the key considerations, what’s the recommended number of apple trees for different goals?
For a Family of 4 – Fresh Eating Apples
- 3 dwarf apple trees – This allows good pollination, provides ample harvest for fresh eating, and fits easily into most yards. Mix early, mid, and late season types for an extended harvest.
For a Family of 4 – Fresh Eating + Preserving
- 4-6 dwarf apple trees – The extra trees enable heavier harvests for baking, sauces, canning, cider, and other preserves.
For a Couple – Dwarf Patio Orchard in Containers
- 2-3 potted dwarf trees – With dwarf cultivars in 10″ or larger containers, you can have a mini orchard on a patio or balcony. Provide at least 8 hours of sunlight.
For an Individual – Snacking from a Mini-Tree
- 1 mini-dwarf tree – A containerized mini-dwarf like ‘Pixie Crunch’ is perfect for small harvests from a 6-8 foot tree.
For a Large Family – Standard Orchard
- 5 standard apple trees – Yielding up to 500 lbs per mature tree, standards have the highest harvests. But they require ample spacing between trees.
Expanding Beyond Apples
Consider incorporating other fruits like pears, plums, cherries, peaches, berries, and more. Diversifying your plantings boosts overall production and lengthens the harvest.
Key Takeaways on Apple Tree Quantity
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Most apples need a compatible partner for cross-pollination – plan for 2+ compatible varieties.
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The ideal number depends on your harvest goals, available space, and tree size.
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3 dwarfs is a good starting point for small-scale needs.
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Supplement with berries, stone fruits, pears, etc to expand production.
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Mini-dwarfs in containers work great for small patios.
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Mature standards yield up to 500 lbs per tree but require ample room.
With some planning upfront and smart plant selection, you can tailor an apple orchard to fit your site – whether you have 40 acres or a tiny urban lot! A diverse home orchard with multiple fruits will keep your family supplied with bushels of fresh-picked produce. Just take the time to determine the right apple tree quantity to meet your needs.
Two trees can provide plenty of apples
Apples are pollinated by insects, with bees and flies transferring pollen from flowers of one apple tree to those of another. But you dont need to plant a whole orchard to enjoy apples right off the tree. Two trees will reward any family with enough fruit to enjoy and share with friends.
Apples require pollen from a different apple variety to grow fruit. If you only have room in your yard for one tree, there may be crab apples in your neighborhood to provide the pollen your tree needs.
Most apple trees are grafted onto dwarfing rootstocks and only grow to be about 8-10 feet tall. So even if youre short on space, you probably have space for two trees.
Care through the seasons
- March—For existing trees, prune before growth begins, after coldest weather has passed
- April, May—Plant bare root trees as soon as the soil can be worked
- April, May—If last years growth was less than 12 inches, apply compost around the base of tree
- May, June—Plant potted trees after threat of frost has passed
- May, June—As flower buds begin to turn pink, start watching for insect and disease symptoms
- May through October—Water trees as you would any other tree in your yard
- June, July—Thin fruit
- remove smallest apples to encourage larger fruit
- August through October—Harvest
- taste fruit when it appears to be fully colored
- if its too starchy, wait a few days
- October, November—Rake up fallen leaves and fruit; compost or discard
- November—Apply tree wrap to prevent winter injury
- November through March—Look for deer and vole damage; put fencing around tree if needed
Before choosing an apple tree to plant, take a look around your neighborhood. A pollen source should be within 100 feet of the apple tree you plant to ensure the pollen gets to your tree.
If you dont see any crabapples or other apple trees that close, your best bet is to plant two trees of different varieties.
When purchasing an apple tree, you are actually selecting a plant made up of two genetically different individuals grafted together, the scion and the rootstock.
- The scion is the aboveground part of the tree that produces the type of fruit desired (ex. Honeycrisp or Haralson).
- The rootstock plays a major role in determining the trees ultimate size and how long it will take to bear fruit.
Variety tables provide hardiness, size and compatibility information for apple varieties that have proven to do well in northern climates.
If you have limited space, pay particular attention to the rootstock you choose for your apple trees.
Often nurseries will label the trees dwarfing, semi-dwarfing, and standard. These labels are referring to the rootstock, which determines how tall your tree will grow.
If you have an interest in a specific rootstock, talk with your local nursery. They might be able to order a tree for you.
Otherwise, you might want to order trees from a nursery that grafts each fruit variety on various rootstocks to get the combination you desire.
- Seedling or standard rootstocks may cause the tree to grow 20 or more feet tall.
- Dwarfing rootstocks reduce tree size by up to 50 percent, so that a tree may be only 8, 12, or 15 feet tall when mature, depending upon its rootstock, scion variety, and growing conditions.
- Whether the fruiting variety is grafted onto standard or dwarfing rootstock, the fruit size and quality will be the same.
- Grow to 20 or more feet tall
- Produce up to 10 bushels of fruit per tree
- More tolerant of wetter and drier soils
- Better anchored than dwarf trees
- May need 8 or more years to start bearing fruit
- More complicated pruning, thinning, harvesting
- More difficult to control pests
- Grow to 8, 12, or 15 feet tall (40-80% shorter than standard)
- Produce 2 to 3 bushels of fruit per tree
- Simpler pruning, thinning, harvesting
- Easier to control pests
- Require only 3-4 years to start bearing fruit
- Can fit 2 or 3 trees into a small space
- Can fall over more easily and may need to be anchored
- May be more prone to some diseases
A seedling rootstock is actually grown from the seed of an apple, often McIntosh or another common, hardy variety. Although you wont know exactly what youre getting with a seedling rootstock—every single seed is a genetically different individual —hardiness, anchorage and adaptability to different soil types are generally excellent.
This rootstock, sometimes termed semi-dwarfing, other times semi-standard, produces a tree about 80% of the height of a standard tree. In many areas of Minnesota, this can work out to roughly a 14-18 foot tree.
MM.111 is a hardy, well-anchored rootstock that can withstand drier soil conditions, making it an excellent choice especially for western parts of the state.
This rootstock performs well under many conditions and produces a tree 40-50% the height of a standard tree. It produces fruit very early in the life of the tree.
M.9 has poor anchorage due to brittle roots and a high fruit to wood ratio which means it requires staking for the life of the tree. M.9 is very susceptible to fire blight. It produces moderate amounts of root suckers and burr knots.
This dwarfing rootstock produces a tree 8-10 feet in height. Trees planted on M.26 generally require staking for the first few years of growth or, on windy sites, for the life of the tree.
M.26 is reliably hardy, but is especially susceptible to fire blight. Fruit is produced very early in the trees life, sometimes within three years from planting.
| Variety | Hardiness (zone 4 to zone 3) | Avg harvest | Best use | Description |
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| Chestnut (1949) | Excellent to very good | Early-mid Sept. | Fresh eating, sauce | Large crab apple, russet skin. Rich, intense, nutty flavor. Fruit stores for 4 to 5 weeks. Moderately resistant to apple scab and fireblight. |
| Cortland | Good to fair | Late Sept.-early Oct. | Fresh eating, cooking, salad | Medium size. Sweet to tart. Slow to turn brown when cut. Susceptible to apple scab and fireblight. |
| Freedom | Good to fair | Sept. | Fresh eating, cooking | Crisp, juicy, sweet. Immune to apple scab, moderately resistant to fireblight. |
| Frostbite™ (2008) | Excellent to very good | Late Sept.-mid Oct. | Fresh eating, cider | Small. Intensely sweet, firm and juicy. Extremely cold hardy. Stores 3-4 months. Good for areas too cold to grow anything else. Some resistance to apple scab and fireblight. |
| Haralson (1922) | Very good to good | Late Sept.-early Oct. | Fresh eating, cooking. Great for pie. | Medium size, striped red. Great for pie. Stores 4-5 months. Some resistance to apple scab and fireblight. |
| Honeycrisp (1991) | Very good to good | Late Sept. | Best for fresh eating. Good for cooking. | Medium-large. Extremely juicy and crisp. Slow to turn brown when cut. Stores well for 7+ months. Some resistance to apple scab and fireblight. |
| Honeygold (1970) | Good to fair | Early Oct. | Excellent for fresh eating. Good for cooking. | Medium size, golden to yellow-green. Crisp, juicy, sweet. Stores 2-3 months. Susceptible to apple scab and fireblight. |
| Liberty | Good to fair | Early Oct. | Fresh eating, cooking | Medium size. Well-balanced flavor similar to McIntosh, but firmer. Immune to apple scab and resistant to fireblight. |
| Regent (1964) | Good to fair | Early-mid Oct. | Fresh eating, cooking | Red striped. Crisp and juicy, well-balanced flavor. Stores 4-5 months. Susceptible to apple scab and fireblight. |
| SnowSweet® (2006) | Good to fair | Mid Oct. | Fresh eating, cooking, salad | Large, bronze-red, blush fruit. Low-acid, sweet flavor. Slow to brown when cut. Stores up to 2 months. Moderately susceptible to apple scab and fireblight. |
| Sweet Sixteen (1977) | Very good to good | Mid-late Sept. | Fresh eating | Medium to large, stripes and solid wash of rosy red. Crisp, juicy, very sweet, spicy, cherry candy flavor. Stores 5-8 weeks. Some resistance to apple scab and fireblight. |
| Triumph (2021) | Very good in Zone 4, not recommended for Zone 3 | Late September | Best for fresh eating. Good for cooking. | Attractive fruit with pleasantly tart and well-balanced flavor and good storage life. Excellent tolerance to apple scab. |
| Wealthy | Good to fair | Early Sept. | Fresh eating, cooking | Medium size, slightly acidic. Resistant to apple scab and fireblight. Doesnt store as long as others. |
| Williams Pride | Good to fair | Mid Aug. | Fresh eating, cooking | Medium size, slightly acidic. Resistant to apple scab and fireblight. Doesnt store as long as others. |
| Zestar!® (1999) | Good to fair | Late Aug.-early Sept. | Fresh eating, cooking | Large, crunchy, juicy red fruit. Balanced sweet-tart flavor. Stores 6-8 weeks. Susceptible to apple scab. Some resistance to fireblight. |
University of Minnesota varieties are in bold and include their release date.
How to Grow an Apple Tree from SEED to FRUIT in 3 YEARS!
FAQ
How many apple trees do I need for a family of 4?
One apple tree can provide a family with most of the fresh apples they’ll eat, plus some for gifts, trade with neighbors and cooking or storing.Dec 29, 2021
Do I need two apple trees to get fruit?
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Yard and Gardenhttps://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.eduI would like to plant an apple tree this spring. Do I need a second tree for pollination? | Yard and GardenJun 11, 2024
Can I plant just one honeycrisp apple tree?
Yes, you need two different varieties to get fruit. This is because every Honey Crisp apple tree is actually one tree; all are propagated by grafting. Even a flowering crab apple will work if the bloom periods are at the same time.
What is the best month to plant apple trees?
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Early Spring (February – May):This is the ideal time for planting bare-root apple trees in most regions. It allows the trees’ root systems to establish before the heat of summer and the potential for freezing temperatures in the fall.
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Late Fall (November):In warmer climates, the fall can also be a good time for planting, as the cooler temperatures and increased rainfall help the roots get established before the growing season.
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Container Trees:Trees in containers can be planted more flexibly, from spring to fall. However, even with containers, be mindful of winter temperatures and potential for damage, especially in colder climates.
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Avoid Late Summer/Fall Planting:Planting in late summer or fall can be risky, as the trees may not have enough time to establish their roots before the harsh winter.
How many apple trees should I plant?
Here are some examples of how many apple trees to plant for common home orchard goals: 3 dwarf apple trees – This provides good pollination, harvest for fresh eating, and fits easily in most yards. Mix early, mid, and late season varieties.
How many apple trees per acre?
As far as the number of trees to plant per acre, an average orchard has around 150 – 180 trees per acre. A higher-density orchard would have 450 – 600 trees. With that said how much space per acre do apple trees need? Well, that depends on what size trees you’re planting.
How many apple trees should a 5 member household plant?
A 5 member household that consumes 500 lbs of apples needs to plant two apple trees. Dwarf and semi-dwarf apple trees have 40-80% less yield than standard trees. The yield of an apple tree depends on its age, variety, and rootstock.
How many apple trees do you need for an orchard?
Apples are self-unfruitful. Plant at least two different apple tree varieties within 50-100 feet of one another for a good fruit set. Some apple varieties, such as Golden Delicious, will produce a crop without cross-pollination from a second variety.
How many apples can a standard apple tree bear a year?
Standard-size trees will bear in 5 to 8 years, yielding 4 to 5 bushels of apples per year. The variety of apple selected should be based on fruit characteristics, bloom time, and pollen compatibility. Consult a local nursery to see which trees are potential cross-pollinators in your area.
Do you need two apple trees?
Two trees will reward any family with enough fruit to enjoy and share with friends. Apples require pollen from a different apple variety to grow fruit. If you only have room in your yard for one tree, there may be crab apples in your neighborhood to provide the pollen your tree needs.