@eastmeetwest Thanks!! There are just so many types to pick from and since this is all new to me...it's mind boggling!!

So, how does Enterprise and Pristine sound then? I'd like one for fresh eating and one for baking, cooking etc.

I do plan on staking them both. and also using some type of wrap to deter the rabbits...

Research the pests in your area, your local university outreach center can probably provide some information and how to treat them. Where I'm at I do not normally have to spray for pests, but I did have a bunch of aphids attacking some new growth on my apple tree, so I did use some neem oil on it. Best of luck!

Don't forget the option of growing the apple tree in a pot. This may be easier to start with. Just protect the the skinny stick you get from rabbits.

You don't have to get dwarf trees either, you can get the common semi dwarf and prune them down.

If it was me, with so many wonderful apples, I would not grow one you can easily get at a store like Honeycrisp.

You can google apple trees in pots images to see what some look like.

Michelle:

If you live in Green Bay, you will most likely have to battle the Japanese beetles! They have been horrendous there the past few years and really love Honeycrisp apple foliage from what I have seen on past visits. Not that they don't feed on other apples but the Honeycrisp I viewed seemed more chewed up on the new growth than other apple varieties nearby.

I am always amazed how different apple varieties show different levels of insect/disease resistance. Connell Red has a very waxy skin so the apple maggots seem to leave it alone. Jonathan on the other hand seems to be a magnet for apple maggot. McIntosh and many of its offspring (McIntosh crosses like Cortland, Macoun ect) are very prone to apple scab. Northwest Greening seems to be the easiest to grow as hardly ever seems touched by scab or insects.

I have noticed at work where we sell apple trees that Spartan and Honeycrisp will get horrible looking foliage (not sprayed) as the season progresses, yet Golden Delicious in the same row have beautiful clean leaves. I just wish I could find a buyer for the Golden Delicious! (sad, as one of my favorites).

Wherever you order your trees from just be sure to find out the rootstock! So many retail mail order companies and even garden centers do not tell you what the rootstock is. If you want something dwarf, be sure to ask what it is grafted on. That way you can plan better on how big they should hopefully get so you know how much space to provide for them.

I live in SE WI but we have some relatives in Green Bay.

If I would grow them in pots, since I'm in WI...would they survive the winter in pots outside? I don't have room in my garage for storing apple trees...

Michelle:

You would have to sink the pots in the ground for the winter, store in an attached,insulated garage, or some other form of protecting the roots over the winter. Leaving above ground in a pot would not work well in our cold winters. The apple tree tops are far hardier than apple tree roots to cold.

I might just have to scrub the whole idea. I don't have an insulated garage, don't really want to dig holes in the yard just to overwinter pots. And I noticed because of my oak tree in the back corner, the only spot where I could plant the apple trees doesn't get enough sun...barely 6 hrs a day.

I could always get the oak tree removed...that's a thought..