First time planting crabapples??

[Telemark]

I assume you are not speaking of NW Ontario when you speak of apples.

I follow and have some of the prairie apples from Canada. They might fit my Minnesota prairie environment better.

The Canadians call it Northwest Ontario, but I don't. We're not on the shield. We are on a limestone island called Manitoulin.

The island is covered with apple trees. It's all private property, and the trees are not on the road side of the fences, so it is difficult to inspect trees and collect scions from good producers. I do have a few local ones that I have grafted, plus a good local eater that seems like it might be an old grafted Duchess.