“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
—Martin Luther

As long as we’ve owned a home, we’ve had apple trees. Our first home in Massachusetts came with three standard heirloom apple trees including two Baldwins. When we moved back to California we planted ‘Gordon’ apple and ‘Washington’ navel orange trees the first year. Later, we planted an espaliered ‘Dorsett Golden ‘ apple tree which gives us a late spring and a fall crop most years.

It looks like a good year for the espaliered apple tree.

Check the Dave Wilson Nursery website which is an excellent source of information on backyard orchard culture. Dave Wilson Nursery continues to collect both old and new varieties that they consider are the best in the U.S. They offer more than 60 apple varieties. Most of our fruit trees were purchased at nurseries carrying their stock. California retail nurseries carrying Dave Wilson Nursery trees are listed here. For retail nurseries outside California check this list.

It’s not too late to plant a bare root apple tree.