HaarFager's photos with the keyword: Backyards

This is the first apple on some trees I planted in my backyard on March 6th, 2016. I was so happy to discover it! It looks like it might have gotten cross-polinated from one of the Fuji apple trees or something - it's certainly mottled, unlike the normal Grannie Smith apples that grow in my backyard on my established tree.

On March 6th, 2016, I planted four apple trees in my backyard - two Grannie Smith trees and two Fuji apple trees. Numbers 1 and 2 were the Grannie Smith trees and 3 and 4 were the Fujis. Today, November 24th, 2018, I realized that I got my first apple! It was on Grannie Smith tree number 1. I was so happy about it!

Here is where I planted my apple seeds today - in some raised beds. After I had finished planting them in rows a foot apart and each seed a foot apart, I covered them back up with the potting soil that was already in the raised beds, then put a one-inch layer of sand over them. Then I stapled some screen over the top of the beds so that the critters can't get to my little sprouts when they break through the ground. I ended up planting 45 seeds. There were three different varieties - Red Delicious, Granny Smith and Golden Delicious. And representing 6 different apples. So, I'll see what happens. I read somewhere that seeds from store-bought apples like this don't always grow up to be trees with apples. The average I read was 1 in 10 seeds might grow up to be trees with good apples. I guess that's what experimenting is for!

Here are some of the apple seeds I wrapped up in a moist paper towel and put in the refrigerator last April (2016.) The process of storing the seeds in moist, cold conditions like I did is called vernalization. Vernalization softens the hard outer coat of the seed and encourages the embryo inside the seed to start germinating. The cold fools the seeds into thinking they went through Winter and when you plant them, Spring activates them. And as you can see, they have started germinating nicely. They had really strong roots. These particular seeds are from a Golden Delicious apple I chilled back on April 8th, 2016. I had done 6 different packets of seeds like this and today was the day I planted them in my back yard to start growing up to be apple trees.