Growing apples in the north
Apples are simply the most dependable fruit tree for our climate. Even the hardiest apple trees can be wiped out by a cold snap such as the one which hit the Red River Valley in early 1996. Therefore, raising them commercially is not a good idea in the Red River Valley and surrounding region. However, in sheltered areas, hardy varieties of apple trees have been known to last seventy years.
Because apples are the most dependable, most of this chapter will concern them. Plum trees are the second most dependable fruit tree, but tend to be short-lived. Apricots are can survive, but large crops are rare.
The unique rewards of growing fruit in the north
The flavor of northern homegrown apples can’t be beat. From the larger Haralson to the smaller Chestnut, apples grown in the back yard in the north country exceed in flavor and character anything you can buy in a store. Northern plums taste so sweet and vivid that you wonder if somebody added sugar.
Hardiness, hardiness, hardiness
Hardiness in fruit trees is measured by the minimum temperature they can survive without damage. A single -40F night in the winter severely damage an apple tree rated hardy to -36F. In our area, at least, hardiness in fruit trees seems to have little to do with average low temperatures, length of winters, or depth of snow.
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