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- 1). Start your apple planting in the early spring, when the frost is off the ground. Successful apple planting requires thawed ground and cool air temperatures. Choose a day that is overcast and slightly cool to keep the apple tree seedlings from going into shock during the transplant.
- 2). Decide on your cultivars based on your region and space allotment. Choose full-sized trees if you can give each tree 20 feet of growing space, or dwarf or semidwarf trees if you'd prefer to allot only 10 to 12 feet per tree. Choose disease-resistant strains such as Enterprise, Goldrush, Jonafree, Liberty, Pristine, Redfree or William's Pride to eliminate problems during growth.
- 3). Find and prepare planting sites. Choose sites that give the trees full sun for eight hours every day, with quick drainage. Choose an orchard site that sits out of low-lying frost-prone areas, as those areas are prone to puddling. Give each tree 20 feet of lateral space for standard apple trees or 10 to 12 feet of lateral space for dwarf or semidwarf varieties.
- 4). Amend the soil at each site the day before planting. Mix quick-draining soil and organic compost in equal parts, and turn 6 inches of this mixture into the top 1 foot of soil at the planting sites. This ensures good drainage and nutrition for the young trees.
- 5). Plant apple tree seedlings in holes as deep and twice as wide as their root balls. Spread the roots in the holes and pack amended soil in around them, then water each tree with 1 gallon of water to help settle the soil around the roots.
- 6). Spread 2 to 3 inches of organic mulch around each seedling in a circle 1 foot in diameter. The mulch restricts weed growth while maintaining soil moisture and warmth for the young trees. Weed control is especially important in the first year of growth.
- 7). Prune the apple tree saplings to 24 to 28 inches to encourage branching and new growth. Put the trees on a schedule of 2 inches of water a week.
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