Apple Growers Education and Training

Learn how to start your own apple orchard and begin selling your apples commercially

Unlike with some other types of produce, growing apples takes a large commitment. You need a lot of time and a lot of land to support your trees. If you have both, you are ready to get started, but you need to do some reading first.

It makes no sense to put together your apple orchard and then decide what to do with it. It is a lot smarter to stop and take in some apple growers education and training so you can learn the following things:

1. How to pick the best apple varieties to grow in your area of the country;

2. The best way to care for your apple trees, upon first planting and later in life;

3. What other apple growers are doing to successfully market their products.

Determine what type of apples you would like to grow in your apple orchard

Some apple trees are temperamental and need a very specific climate, requiring apple growers to carefully pick and choose their locations. Distributors of apples also want to pick a type that sells well in the area where they plan to run their businesses.

Learn how apple farmers care for their trees

You won't have much of an apple grower company if all of your trees die within the first year. That's why you have to give them the utmost care, starting from the day you plant them.
University of Maine's site and read its tutorial on planting and caring for apple trees the conventional way. If you don't want to use pesticides and, instead, plan on growing apples organically, check out the extensive informational site put together by the Holistic Orchardist Network.

Decide how you're going to market your wholesale apples

Once you've got your gorgeous apple orchard, you need to learn how to sell your apples or you won't have much of a business. Read about ways to sell them locally and over the Web.
USDA's farmers market site to find markets near you. Write down all the markets that are within reasonable driving distance and then consider where you would like to sell. Starting out local is a great way to get word of mouth on your product.

Use common sense in your apple growing initiative. Only plant trees in states that produce apples. Don't try to start your first apple farm in Hawaii when you are much better off in New England.