My apple tree has arrived and so finally after the longest winter ever, I can start my apple project!
Apples reproduce from seeds, but like most sexually reproducing creatures, those seeds are a jumble of mom DNA, dad DNA, and random extra stuff. Planting a seed doesn't get you the same apple you got the seed from.
The way to reproduce a specific apple is by grafting, basically cutting a branch off, sticking a branch from a different tree on, and tying them together until they grow into one another.
My goal this spring is to acquire branches from several awesome apple trees and create a sort of Frankenstein tree, which in the apple business is apparently called a Jubilee. By picking the apple varieties carefully, I should have a steady stream of fresh fruit from August to November, all off a single tree!
We also got a peach tree and I might do something with that but I'm not sure