100 trees is a good starting point, but I have not seen any discussion about rootstocks, cultural practice or the budget designed to hit your goals.. Each of these points merit careful consideration. The current "state of the art" in apple production seems to be some form of tall spindle with trees 3 or 4 feet apart in rows 12 or 13 feet apart. With a tree density of over 800 trees per acre, plan on spending around $15K per acre for this type of orchard not including the fence! Trees cost around $10 each and you have place the order at least one year or perhaps two years ahead to get what you want. Some nursery will custom bud any variety you choose it they do not have it in their catalog. The most useful information I have seen is in YouTube or other video from Umass or Cornell. Also, T Robinson (Cornell) has produced a lot of research explaining and advocating tall spindle systems. Last year I saw a new 100 acre planting of dwarf trees in Virginia which must have cost over a million dollars It was a very impressive site. The smart money in the orchard business from all over the country seems to be on board with tall spindle system Don't forget the berries and brambles. They fit perfect with your plan and cost a lot less to get started than tree fruit

This is a follow-up to initial post that started this thread from June 27 about growing 6 Sunshine Blue blueberries purchased from ebay. The plants were small but healthy, with good rootballs. The plan was to grow them as fast as was possible, yet keep them healthy. I am over-joyed with the results. They have more than doubled in size, and the leaves and stems strong and whole, and are a very nice dark green. Very nice. If I saw plants that looked this good in a nursery, I would buy them in a second. I ended up planting them in 3 gallon black plastic squat-pots in a mix of 50% sifted compost and 50% sifted, very well composted wood chips and their leaves, with a handfull of sulfur mixed in. This drains very well, but also retains moisture. I intended to, but no peat was used. I also mulched the tops of the pots with about 2 inches of ground green garden waste from the landfill. The plants where placed in full sun all day, and watered about every other day with pH adjusted water with acid to a pH of about 4.5 to 5. (I started with vinegar then graduated to new battery acid - see thread 'blueberries on acid' or something like that, for details and health/safety cautions) I use pH strips cut in tiny pieces to determine pH. I also added a small, unmeasured amount of soluable fertizer with each watering. About 10% strength or so. Usually ammonium sulfate is used, but every once in a while some generic miracle grow or chelated iron was added for other minerals. There has been no leaf-burn at all. This solution was mixed in a garbage can and the plants watered with sprinkler cans. Yes, its added work, but its worth it judging by the plants. The results have been so good, I've also been watering my older plants in pots with this as well, and they too are looking wonderful and showing good, healthy growth, including many new basal shoots. Of course they were doing well anyway, but not this good. We live where frost is rare, and blueberries can keep their leaves through the winter. Because of this, I'm intending to keep using this enriched water for as long as it seems to help the plants. I'm not worried about soft growth heading into the winter and any potential frost damage - because we dont get frost. Once in 15 years, and the tomatoes didnt even die. But if it happens, I'll curse a bit under my breath, and live with it.

Capoman, My old school dutch christian reformed and staunch conservative relative (82yrs)hasn't planted cherries in west Michigan (southhaven area)in 50 yrs. "It warms up too soon and frosts too late" "Of course it's warming up" he says." He's outside every day so I believe him. He used to have 25 acres in cherries. Science shouldn't follow the dictates of politics. What good is science for if it doesn't serve humanity? exactly. Short term money or long term sustainability. I propose there is a lot more money in the sustainability side. I invested in drip emmiters in January and it saved my plants. I only have 300 in the ground and without the efficiency gained, I wouldn't have any alive. My sprinklers wouldn't keep up. I'm in sandy loam. I still experienced some browning. Probably the ammonium sulfate/lack of water. Those two together I suspect are really bad. As for my 800 potted plants, I went with a squatter pot(free), doubling my water needs. It's a bigger wick surface for sunlight to hitand the water to evaporate in the heat. Nice roots, though. They like the 2pm watering.

Wonder if you ever found out the problem with your blueberries. It might be that the location may be too hot. I find that part shade [dappled] to full shade seems to work the best for the blueberries. Blueberry leaves will fry in the full sun here in our desert climate. Make sure that they are planted in very composted and acid type soil. Water several times a week. I also provide overhead spray for humidity.