By Tatiana Gonzalez, Wylde Center Educator
Planting Apple Trees in the School Garden:
When asking students what they would like to plant in their school garden, one of the top requests is always, “apples!” Having an apple tree at school is a great way for students to make connections about how fruit grows and have access to fresh fruit at school. However, planting an apple tree comes with a few more challenges than planting seeds in a garden bed. We created this guide to help you feel more confident, or have more questions about planting apple trees at your schoolyard.
There are several important things to consider when thinking about planting apple trees at home or in a school garden. These include the size and location of the plot, deciding which variety of apple tree works best for your region, and how far apart you should plant your trees.
Initial Considerations: Apple trees need at least 6-8 hours of sunlight everyday. Before planting, locate a spot in the garden that receives appropriate sunlight with well-drained soil. If possible, it may be helpful to test the pH of the soil. Apple trees prefer soil with a pH of 5.5-7. Regarding planting, fall is the best time to plant fruit trees within zone 7b.
Which Apple Tree Should I Plant? It is best to choose a tree that grows well within your region, rather than choosing an apple tree that you are most familiar with. Planting regionally loved varieties will result in reduced diseases or pests. Some well loved apple tree varieties within Zone 7b are Honeycrisp, Red Delicious, Fuji and Granny Smith.
Size and Spacing of Apple Trees: Depending on the size of the designated tree planting area, there are a variety of different apple tree sizes that may be best suited for the space. Standard size trees can reach a height and diameter of about 30 feet. Semi-dwarf trees reach about 80% the size of standard trees, producing trees with a height of about 14-22 feet. Lastly, another variety of apple trees that works best for smaller spaces would be dwarf apple trees which produce trees about 50% the size of standard apple trees, with these trees reaching a mature height of about 6-12 feet. Likewise, the size and type of the apple tree variety will determine the amount of space the apple tree needs to grow. A rule of thumb is, depending on the type and variety, apple trees need to be planted about 6-25 feet away from any other structures or plants.
Planting: When preparing to plant a tree in the garden, dig a hole as deep as the root ball and about twice as wide. Most of the soil that is dug out, will return to the hole once the tree is planted. Before planting the tree, spread the roots out, making sure that none of them are bent. In addition, make sure that the tree is standing up straight while planting. Begin adding soil, and then water the tree once it is settled into its new home. Make sure to add fertilizer, water and mulch to keep the tree happy and healthy.
Fun Fact: Apple trees have something known as extreme heterozygosity. This means that no two apples or apple trees are ever the same, due to multiple factors such as cross-pollination and highly variable genetics. In order for apple trees to be “cloned”, they must go through a process called grafting. Grafting is a form of “plant propagation that joins plant parts from different plants together so they will heal and grow as one plant.”
Organizations that Support the Planting of Fruit Trees:
There are several organizations within the Atlanta area that support the initiative of planting fruit trees in school gardens and neighborhoods.
- The Giving Grove is a nationwide non-profit that supports communities through building orchards in neighborhoods, community and school gardens. One of their programs called The Orchard Project has a rolling application for those interested in building community orchard spaces. Apply here.
- Food Well Alliance hosts a fruit tree sale every year which provides up to 50 different varieties of fruit trees in efforts to raise money for the Orchard Project. Find more information about the fruit tree sale here.
- If you’re interested in learning more about fruit trees within the Metro-Atlanta area, please visit and attend Concrete Jungle’s events and workdays.
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Since 1997, the Wylde Center has been dedicated to providing outstanding hands-on environmental education experiences for students throughout the Atlanta area. Our interactive classes are led by trained and enthusiastic environmental educators. As students encounter our gardens, streams, and woodlands, they learn to think critically, creatively, and responsibly about the world around them. Programs Align with current grade level Georgia Standards of Excellence. Book your 2023-2024 school programs here.
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