3rd year apple orchard

[Smokey Hills Bandit]

Full swing into our 3rd growing season and it's been a wild ride. We had a few trees die in their first winter and many more died back to about a foot tall. Most trees have made a very nice recovery and have made it back to their original heights (4-6ft)

I spent $2,500 to plant 24 trees with weed barrier, wire mesh cage, tree tubes, t posts, and mulch. So to see it take 3 years to recover has been difficult, but i'm happy they are alive.

A few tips for anyone planting an apple tree.
- Apple trees remind me of a garden plant. If you plant in poor soil, you will get poor results. Plan a year ahead of planting and correct your soil!
- Cages are a must for deer and tree tubes for rodents.
- Weed control is a must in early stages (-5years). I started with weed barriers and mulch, but will have to implement spraying as grass will grow through anything.
- Water your trees as much as you can in the first 2 years. Destination hunting spots can make this a heck of a challenge.
- Buy from a reliable source. I buy from starkbro's, which offer a year warranty with no questions asked. They have replaced 5 trees at no cost. I would recommend MDHA based on cost and size I've seen from DE.
-Buy for your zone and research your trees. Chestnut and Whitney crab apples have done the best and still produce an amazing fresh eating apple.

- I cannot speak apple trees without mentioning the 'Deadeye' approach.
DE has had great success with annual planting of apple trees. I have now gone with this approach and will be adding 5 trees a year moving forward. 











Moved to metal tags before I lose track of which varieties are where