Omni, I thought this might be some helpful literature on the general maintenance of multiple budded varieties, from the Dave Wilson site: In comparison to a single fruit tree, multi-budded trees require special consideration. When selecting a multi-budded tree, look for one that has an even distribution of limbs around the tree. If the different fruit varieties (the limbs) are not well-spread on your trees, use a spreader to separate them. Multi-budded fruit trees are grown close together in the nursery rows and this can result in some of the budded selections receiving less-than-optimum sunlight during their development. Always plant the smallest limb (the "weakest" bud) to the south/southwest to insure that it gets plenty of sun.. Cut back the strongest growing varieties by 2/3rds. Cut back the weakest variety by 1/2 " or not at all. During the summer, watch the growth-rate of the smaller limbs to determine if pruning is necessary at that time. If the weakest variety is 1/2 the size of the others, it's best not to cut it back. Do Not! let one variety take over - or one or more of the the others may fail. Prune back the more aggressive limbs. Summer-prune when necessary in order to let sunlight get to all the developing varieties. The primary reason for the failure of multi-budded fruit trees is letting one variety take over which can cause the others to fail. This is most often due to lack of summer pruning when needed. remember to keep even sunlight available to all the developing selections. After the third season, maintain the multi-budded tree so that each fruit-type grows in balance with the others. Hope it helps! Jay

All the other trees I listed came from Grandpas Orchard Two years ago. Usually they have Macs, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, two types of columnar apple trees and Winesap which surprises me also. I have only once I think had a wrong labeled apple tree from HD. The tag read Golden Delicious it turned out to be a Granny Smith which didn't bother me too much it's a good apple for baking and such. They have had Winesap for a few years and I can tell before I look at the label most times because the Winesap almost always has more healthy limbs coming out of it than any other tree they sell and at pretty good angles.

I should have added, put some western shade up. The container was likely getting some overhead shade at some point in the day at the nursery and now is out in the open(?). Put a old palate on its side and drive a couple of rebar rods inside to support it or put a couple 1/2" x 2 ft. rebar halfway into the ground, put a 1/2" x 10' PVC pipe over each rebar. Put the structure as close to the tree as possible to get the shade onto the tree ASAP in the afternoon...all the way until near sunset. Suspend a piece of shade cloth or burlap between them using a large binder clip (found at an office supply store like Staples) on each corner. Adjust the cloth up and down for optimal shading from about 3PM on until you get at least 8 hours of temps below 85F. You should only need the western shade this summer as it should acclimate next summer. This post was edited by Fascist_Nation on Sat, Aug 3, 13 at 22:05

Rosefolly and Friends: One of the principal differences between a chest freezer (often called a deepfreeze) and a household refrigerator is the provision for automatic defrost. All refrigerators built for the past 40 years or more have an automatic defrost feature that shuts down cooling and briefly heats the cooling coils to remove frost. Water from the melt runs down a tube to the bottom where it is evaporated by warm air circulation. The defrost cycle normally occurs twice in each 24-hour period, so the refrigerator is constantly wringing moisture out of the cabinet and removing it. Keeping a pan of water or moist towels in a refrigerator to raise humidity is futile for this reason. This is also the principal reason that the freezer section of a household refrigerator is not suitable for long-term storage -- it does not maintain a constant temperature below +10F, which is about the minimum. Most chest freezers do not have automatic defrost, although I am sure some do, and newer upright freezers often do. This is great for convenience, but not good for long-term freezer storage, which requires constant temperatures below zero. The only downside to a freezer requiring manual defrost is that you have to defrost once every year or 18 months, which usually requires removing the contents for an hour or so. The period between manual defrosts can be longer if your door gasket seals well to keep out ambient humidity and you do not open the door for frequent and prolonged periods. Automatic defrost controls can easily be bypassed, but if you do that with a refrigerator you have to be prepared for frequent manual defrosts, since most refrigerator doors are opened two-dozen times a day or more, which invites humidity into the cabinet. It is apparently possible to modify an entire chest or upright freezer for warmer storage above 32 degrees, by removing the cold control and installing a different control operating in a higher temperature range. The warmer air in the cabinet will also permit retention of higher humidity, which favors fruit storage. However, changing the control may not be equally easy in all models because of the placement of the control's sensing tube. For you, Rosefolly, if you are successful with your 12 apple trees, you will soon see the day when you are surrounded by apples. I don't see how you can get by in your relatively warm climate without an extra refrigerator to store the bounty. Cidermaking is certainly one option, and perhaps the best since you can use a lot of apples very quickly. But then you have to store the cider, and that involves a deepfreeze. I have dried a lot of apples, and it is kind of fun and produces a delicious product, but it is very labor intensive. You have to have some time on your hands to make it possible. Children do like dried apples, and they are a very healthy snack. Lots better than "energy bars", composed mostly of chemicals and corn syrup. Then, of course, there is applesauce, and we make more than 2-dozen quarts every season. But again, you need a deepfreeze to store it, or be prepared to put it up in canning jars. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA