These Are the Best Apple Trees to Grow in Montana

Gardeners across the Treasure State are gearing up for another season.

Soon, we'll be starting our vegetable seedlings on sunny windowsills or under grow lamps and picking up trays of starter seedlings at our favorite garden center. If you've considered planting a few apple trees this season, read on.

Read More: Join the Seed Swap at the Billings Community Seed Library

Let's grow some apple trees in Montana.

Annuals are relatively easy. They only have to survive for a few months; you harvest your produce, the plant dies, and you repeat the process next year with new plants. Growing fruit trees in Montana can be more challenging.

Any homeowner who's spent a bunch of money on tree saplings (only to have them die a year later) can understand the frustration. However, with patience and a little know-how, you can greatly increase your chances of apple tree success in Montana.

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The Montana State University Extension Office published the excellent paper Growing Fruit Trees in Montana in 2015. The scope of the article encompasses growing fruit trees in an orchard setting, but most of the info is equally important for a person who wants to grow just a few apple trees at home.

Pick your spots.

Apple trees grow best on a slight slope, with south or east-facing exposure. Deep, well-draining soil is preferred. For best results, you should always plant two or more varieties of apple trees within 50 - 100 feet of each other for polination purposes, notes Iowa State University. 

Fence for deer.

Wildlife love fruit trees. Deer, elk, and other critters will quickly devour young apple tree saplings. If your backyard is not wildlife-proof, you'll want fencing around your young trees.

Pick apple tree varieties that will do well in Montana.

The MSU Extension Office studied how well several apple tree varieties performed at 10 different test sites across the state. The young apple trees were judged on node growth, pest resistance, bloom dates, foliage health, and other growth factors. One apple variety stood above the rest: Goodland.

The Hardy Fruit Tree Nursery in Canada says this about the Goodland,

Goodland is an early apple, ready to harvest in mid-August. It originates in Manitoba, and is hardy in zone 3. The large apples have a delightful mild and aromatic flavour. They are equally good to eat fresh as when cooked into a tasty applesauce.

Other apple trees that can thrive in Montana include Sweet 16, Winesap, Frostbite, and Honeycrisp, among others.

Be patient.

It typically takes 7 - 10 years for young apple trees to start producing fruit, so a backyard orchard is a bit of a long game. Dwarf varieties can begin bearing apples much sooner, in as little as two to three years. With proper care, apple trees can produce fruit for 10 - 30 years and can live for 100 years.