When to plant apples in Baoding

Why these dates

Plant while the tree is dormant and the ground is workable, which in most climates means late autumn through late winter. Autumn planting is better where winters are moderate, because the roots establish before the tree has to support leaves; late-winter planting is safer where the ground freezes hard. A tree planted in leaf will survive but sulks for a season.

Wood is hardy well below the point where anything else in the garden survives, so winter cold is rarely the problem. Blossom is not: an open flower is damaged around -2C and killed at -4C, and a late frost during bloom costs the entire year's crop while leaving the tree in perfect health. This is why the last frost date matters more for apples than the first.

Apples are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. What matters in Baoding is the shape of the year: this crop is dormant through the winter and is planted while it sleeps, any time between leaf fall in autumn and the restart of growth in spring, so long as the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged. That is why the window below spans the cold months rather than sitting in the middle of the growing season.

Hardiness is not the obstacle here. Baoding is zone 7a, comfortably inside the range this crop is rated for, so an established plant should come through an average winter without protection.

Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 3, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.

See every crop timed for Baoding →