Apple Growing Guide
Apple is a great next step in your growing journey. Follow this guide from planting to harvest and you'll do great.
At a Glance
Difficulty
Moderate
Category
Tree Fruit
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -34°C
Plant Family
Rosaceae
Growing Season
Cool Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
Also grows well as
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Plant a bare-root grafted tree while dormant — choose the rootstock for the size you want and a variety with a compatible pollination partner. Cheapest and establishes superbly.
Apples are always grown as GRAFTED trees: a named variety joined to a 'rootstock' that controls the final size (dwarfing rootstocks give small trees for pots and small spaces). Seed won't come true. Most apples also need a different variety flowering nearby to pollinate them (some are self-fertile), so check before buying just one. Prune in winter to build a good framework, and thin a heavy fruit set for bigger apples.
When To Start
First Chance to Plant
Plant bare-root saplings in early spring while dormant (or fall in mild zones)
Last Chance to Plant
Before bud break in spring
When should you plant Apple?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Apple Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
The Journey Ahead
Apple's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Growing Tips
- 1Apples don't come true from seed — buy a grafted sapling, and pick the rootstock for the size you want (dwarf for small spaces).
- 2Most varieties need a second, compatible apple nearby to cross-pollinate and set fruit.
- 3Choose a variety with enough winter chill hours for your zone, prune every dormant season, and keep mulch off the trunk.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
400 cm
Mature Height
300 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
30 days
When to Pick
2–4 years to first fruit on a grafted dwarf; pick late summer–fall when fruit lifts off with a gentle twist
How to Harvest
- 1Apples are ready when they release from the spur with a gentle upward twist rather than a hard pull, the background colour shifts from green toward yellow, and the seeds inside are brown.
- 2Pick over several visits as they ripen unevenly.
- 3Handle gently — bruised apples won't store.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
Seed Production
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