I am doing the same exact thing this year at my property. I will have 2 'Main' orchards in 2 different parts of the property with ~70 or so apple trees in each.
Cheap/great quality in my opinion for $70 shipped is the Browning HD Max Dark Ops cam - on there website under the 'Sale' menu. I just added more of those to my camera collection...
Impress-o-tag metal labels from Amazon for on the tree identity.
I also have a google Map layer created with every apple tree I have with pins and then the name/rootstock. This is key to have for when tags become lost or unreadable for whatever reason. I’ve had deer chew on these soft aluminum...
Impossible you don’t have enough room! Try harder and find more room! I’m voting with chicken little and buy 50 more rootstock and go to town!
I think bench grafting is easier than limb grafting myself.
Zone 4B
August - Centennial Crab and Zestar (Zestar is 99% for human consumption, way too delicious to share with wildlife)
September - Chestnut Crab and Liberty (Liberty is turning out to be a family favorite for eating as well)
October - Bonkers and Wickson Crab
November - Enterprise and Goldrush
For your fruit fridge, how are you storing them in there? In bags? Loose? Do you introduce humidity somehow? I’ll need an entire apple fridge for next year so starting my research now.
Yes but only 1. I had to have a Zestar and Cummins only had it in this rootstock when I ordered. Planted in 2018, been producing apples since 2021. Fast grower, earlier producer compared to B118 or MM111.