What is my Zone?

This question alone will greatly affect the above answers and narrow your selection in some cases

selecting varieties for our own particular area based on hardiness is best for home gardeners. We all want to be successful in our Back Yard Orchard and most of us don’t want to spend hours and hours like the producers do caring for our trees.

Note for warmer climents there are Chilling Hours related with varieties that many help with selection.

Pollination

Most pollination can be done with out spending extra amounts on unwanted trees. Knowing the varieties and their pollinators is the best way to insure good pollination and more than likely we are adding a few different varieties of the same fruit and they will be able to do the job.
Most varieties require a pollinator and Bees being the best pollinator will travel miles to other orchards so pollination usually isn’t an issue.

Planting fruit trees

Bare root or container

If planting a Container tree dig your hole twice the size of the container they come in and just as deep knowing that the graft (the knob on the lower trunk of the tree) needs to be above ground to insure good growth.
Use a good planting mix that you mix with half of the soil you removed from the hole.
Never place leaves or manure in the hole while planting or fertilizer, some Garden center trees will have some sort of slow release fertilizer added to their soil and there is no need to add fertilizer while planting that can be done on top of the soil later.

After planting your tree, be sure to water the tree deeply. This will insure that the tree is going to bed for the season wet not dry. In cold climates Trees need to Freeze wet not dry to prevent Winter Kill. In warm weather climates the trees may not be growing and producing in the fall but they are alive and need moisture in these dry times.

Fertilizer isn’t as important now in the fall as it will be in the spring.

If planting a Bare Root Tree
remember always to keep the roots of the bare root trees moist while you prepare to plant. If needed heal your trees into some moist soil while your holes are being dug or get your holes dug ahead of time of receiving your trees.
Be sure to soak your bare root tree in a bucket of fresh water for at least 10 to 12 hours this will allow the roots to take on needed moisture for planting. All along the roots and trunk of the trees there are doormat root cells and these take in water.

Dig your holes for your bare root trees according to the size of the root mass, at least 3 feet wide and 2 feet deep. Plant your tree using the soil that came out of the hole mixed with a good planting mix , if you choose to add other amendments studies have shown that  the best amendments are low bulk sources of minerals, such as bone meal, soft rock phosphate and kelp meal and should be mixed with some topsoil and added to the bottom of the hole ,under the tree.

Training and Trimming Fruit Trees
information taken from North Carolina Extension Office

A primary objective of training and pruning is to develop a strong tree framework that will support fruit production. Improperly trained fruit trees generally have very upright branch angles, which result in serious limb breakage under a heavy fruit load. This significantly reduces the productivity of the tree and may greatly reduce tree life. Another goal of annual training and pruning is to remove dead, diseased, or broken limbs.

 Training young fruit trees is essential for proper tree development. It is better to direct tree growth with training than to correct it with pruning.

Pruning is most often done during the winter, commonly referred to as dormant pruning. Training includes summer training and summer pruning as well as dormant pruning. The goal of tree training is to direct tree growth and minimize cutting.

Dormant Pruning vs. Summer Pruning

Trees respond very differently to dormant and summer pruning. Dormant pruning is an invigorating process. During the fall, energy is stored primarily in the trunk and root system to support the top portion of the tree. If a large portion of the tree is removed during the winter, while the tree is dormant, the tree's energy reserve is unchanged. In the spring, the tree responds by producing many new vigorous, upright shoots, called water sprouts, which shade the tree and inhibit proper development. Heavy dormant pruning also promotes excessive vegetative vigor, which uses much of the tree's energy, leaving little for fruit growth and development.

Historically, much of the vigorous, upright vegetative growth has been removed during the dormant season; heavy dormant pruning results in a yearly cycle with excessive vegetative growth and little or no fruit production.

Timing of dormant pruning is critical. Pruning should begin as late in the winter as possible to avoid winter injury. Apple and pecan trees should be pruned first, followed by cherry, peach, and plum trees. A good rule to follow is to prune the latest blooming trees first and the earliest blooming last. Another factor to consider is tree age. Within a particular fruit type, the oldest trees should be pruned first. Younger trees are more prone to winter injury from early pruning.

Summer pruning eliminates an energy or food producing portion of the tree and results in reduced tree growth. Pruning can begin as soon as the buds start to grow, but it is generally started after vegetative growth is several inches long. For most purposes, summer pruning should be limited to removing the upright and vigorous current season's growth; only thinning cuts should be used. To minimize the potential for winter injury, summer pruning should not be done after the end of July.

Pruning Cuts
 
When making pruning cuts, it is important to use techniques that will allow the cut surface to heal quickly. Rapid healing minimizes the incidence of disease and insect infection. Pruning cuts should be flush with the adjacent branch without leaving stubs. Also, when large horizontal cuts are made, they should be slightly angled so that water does not set on the cut surface, allowing the growth of rot and disease organisms.

Many compounds are available as wound dressing or pruning paints. But the best treatment is to make proper pruning cuts and allow the tree to heal naturally. If preferred, tree paints and wound dressing may be used for aesthetic reasons, but they will not promote healing.

Bark Protection: Protect trees from rabbits, mice, voles, other rodents, mechanical damage and sun scald tree guards inexpensive and easy to put on. These protectors are sold at most farm stores we did get this link from Peaceful Valley in Grass Valley California.

http://www.groworganic.com/spiral-tree-guards-36-pack-of-5.html

What Varieties are good for my area?

I called and spoke to my local orchards and they were able to give me some great advice for my back yard orchard keeping in mind that you should explain that you are not wanting to jump into the orchard business but would like them to recommend a few varieties that are a sure thing and take less work.

Wisconsin
Anna is the executive Director for the Wisconsin Apple Growers Association and she was very helpful with these varieties for  zone 4-5.

Early Season: Cortland (cooking and Eating)
Mid Season : Jersey Mac ,Paula Reds and Macintosh,
Late Season ; Jonathon and Ida red

Georgia

I spoke with David Lillard of Mercier Orchards of Blue Ridge Georgia and was also very helpful for Zone 7, recommendations.

Early Varieties
Twig Varieties which are an heirloom apple Red Twig Black Twig most common of the native apples. Not a lot to look at but very disease resistant hardy as well as productive.
Detroit Red

Mid Season:
Roam Beauty not a good looking apple but consistent and great flavor.
Late Season: Granny Smith 100% the best apple for the area.
Roma, Fuji and Pink Lady
he also told me something very interesting. “The last tree to bloom is the first tree I harvest, sounds backwards but it is true”

PLUM Madness

California

PLUOTS

I received some great information from one of the leading Fruit Tree Suppliers Peaceful Valley who is based in Grass Valley California; Charlotte from Peaceful Valley informed me that Peaceful Valley sells over 10,000 bare root fruit trees starting in December.
 

Charlotte shared some amazingly delicious and unusual fruit varieties with me for the home orchard .
PLUOTS
all semi-dwarf
Early: Flavor Supreme, zones 4-9;
Mid-season: Splash, zones 5-11;
Late: Dapple Dandy, zones 5-9.