apples

Originally planted in the mid-90’s, the Prusch High Density Orchard provides a public demonstration of pomme fruit gardening, showing local gardeners how to maintain reasonably sized trees, and how several varieties can be grown in a small garden space.

Located in San Jose at the intersection of highways 280 and 101, the entrance to Emma Prusch Park is on South King Road. To visit the orchard, make an immediate left after entering the park.

Home Orchard Advice

If you're planning for yourself, here are some things to keep in mind. For more information, visit the California Backyard Orchard website.

Tree Selection

The most important factors in selecting varieties for growing at home are your personal preference for type and taste, and the ripening time for the varieties you select. Even keeping your trees small, you can get a lot of fruit from a single tree. With a little planning, you can choose varieties that bear fruit over a longer period of time, thus maximizing the length of your fruit season.

There are other factors to consider, including the amount of winter chill a variety needs in order to bear fruit. For more information on chill hours, visit the California Home Orchard tree selection page.

Planting options

Don't have much space? You don't need much to get started. Some options you might want to consider include:

By Nancy Garrison, Former Urban Horticulture and Master Gardener Program Coordinator

Apples, Malus communis D. C., are adaptable to most areas of Santa Clara County; our moderate climate is adequate for coloration in most red varieties and generally adequate to meet winter chilling requirements. There are hundreds of varieties of apples, and some varieties have several strains, each with its own characteristics. There are several available rootstocks for apples, the most profound characteristics of which, are dwarfing and pest resistance. Apples require cross pollination to varying degrees.

VARIETY SELECTION

The greatest selection of varieties will be available from local nurseries during the December - February bareroot season. One's choice should be made based on personal taste preference, tree size and harvest season. Early season varieties start to ripen in mid June. Mid season ones ripen August to September and late season varieties finish ripening in November. By choosing varieties with different ripening dates, one can stretch the harvest season to five months. Additionally, one can choose by predominant use, such as juicing versus pies versus fresh eating. Below are descriptions of some of the "tried and true" performers for our area. There are certainly others, so don't take this as an exhaustive list.