Q: I should have listened to your advice about thinning apple trees. The main horizontal limb on our Haralson apple tree broke halfway through under the heavy load of apples. I mowed around that ...

By observing apple trees over quite a number of years, I’ve concluded that most apples trees in the Upper Midwest have a lifespan of between 20 and 30 years, with 25 years being about average.

Those trees grow 18 different apple varieties, from Beacon and Paula Red to Minnesota classics like Honeycrisps. Owner Timothy Harbo described what people should look for.

A question master gardeners are often asked is “what do we do if we still have apples on our tree and a freeze is predicted?” Apple fruit starts freezing at around 28-28.5 degrees. The U of M ...