Old farmsteads around Dillsboro still have trees. A neglected apple is still an apple.

Sow

Plant bare-root in March. Grafting is how varieties stay true — seedlings are a lottery.

Spacing

Semi-dwarf 12–15 ft. Standard 25 ft.

Days

Years. Fruit on wood 2–4 years old.

Harvest

Variety-dependent, August–October. A ripe apple leaves the spur with a twist and brown seeds.

Store

32–38°F, humid, away from potatoes. Winesap, Arkansas Black, and GoldRush keep. Summer apples do not — sauce them.

Seed

Don’t, for variety. Learn whip-and-tongue grafting in March.

Companions

Comfrey and chives at the drip line. Keep redcedar at a distance (cedar-apple rust).

Pests

Codling moth — pick up every drop every week. Curculio. For a survival orchard, sanitation beats spray.

A windfall cider press day in October is worth more morale than the calories.

Pears want to be picked firm and ripened inside or they go gritty.