There are hundreds of apple tree varieties available, each of which does best in a certain growing zone. Planting a tree that is known to thrive in your growing zone will give you the best chance of growing a successful, fruit-bearing tree. The USDA website provides a map illustrating where different growing zones begin and end. This is especially important for apple trees because apple varieties each need a number of “chill hours” in order to begin producing fruit. Chill time is when the temperature is between 32 and 45 degrees F. Some varieties do best in the north, where the winters are long and cold, and others need fewer chill hours and do fine in southern growing zones. In addition to knowing your growing zone, and how many chill hours it typically provides, you may need account for other climate factors. Humidity levels, annual rainfall, elevation, and other factors such as your local microclimate could influence how well apple trees grow. For growing zones 3 and 4, try Honeycrisp, Sweet Sixteen or Macoun. For zones 5 to 9, try Pink Lady, Akane or Ashmead’s Kernel. For 10 or hotter, try Granny Smith or Cinnamon Spice. Cross pollination is usually necessary in order for the trees to produce fruit. Many apple trees will not pollinate themselves or other trees of the same variety, so you may need to plant two different apple varieties in the same area to ensure they get pollinated. Consult with a local horticulturist or nursery to find out which varieties will pollinate in your area. Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Grimes Golden and Winter Banana are often good choices, since they are known to pollinate. You can narrow down your list according to personal preferences. Consider taste testing a few different varieties so you can make sure the time and effort you’ll put into growing an apple tree will result in fruit you enjoy eating. You may also want to consider getting a disease-resistant variety, even if it doesn’t produce your very favorite type of apple. Apple trees are prone to disease, and it would be a shame for yours to die within two or three years of planting. Disease-resistant trees allow you to grow organic fruit, since you won’t have to use as many chemicals to keep them from getting sick. Some treatment will still be necessary, but it will be less than that needed for non-resistant trees. Most apple trees are grown from dormant, grafted nursery trees with developed root systems. These trees consist of a rootstock, the foundation of the tree, and a scion, the top part of the tree that bears the fruit. The rootstock and scion are grafted together to create trees that grow reliably and produce a certain type of fruit. Plan to plant your tree as soon as possible after purchasing it. If the roots are dry, soak them for 24 hours before planting. When ordering a tree, you can choose a seedling rootstock, which will produce a full-sized tree that grows up to thirty feet; or a dwarfing rootstock, which produces a smaller tree more suitable for a backyard harvest. Full-sized trees bear more fruit, but they take several extra years before they start bearing. Trees can be ordered from a catalog or purchased at a local nursery. While some people like to try their hand at planting apple trees from seed, buying a bare-root tree produces much more reliable results. If you plant a seed, it won’t necessarily produce an apple like the one it came from. Since apple trees are grafted, the seed is basically a wild card that could produce a tree with inedible fruit. A dormant bare root tree is best planted in the spring, after the soil has thawed enough to dig a deep hole. This is especially important in colder regions. The trees’ roots need a chance to take hold before the next winter, or they’ll suffer from the frost. If you live in a place with mild winters,you can plant apple trees in the fall without worrying that they’ll die from the frost before they geta chance to set.