Your crabapple might also pollinate Antonovka, but is also 100 feet away.
100ft is not a problem for the pollinators. I watch the bumble bees cover that distance between some of my apple trees all the time , sometimes back and forth that distance. And the honey bees I have here cover several hundred yards from where they are at to tend whatever is in bloom at that time.
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Thank you, All! I think I have a plan. I will plant Antonovka and Golden Russet in one hole. Then when it is appropriate convince my DH to graft Rox and Ashmeadās on one of the trees - after all, he is the one who doesnāt like me using sharp tools 
You two can practice grafting the next few years on your old crab apple while you are waiting for the new trees to grow up a bit.
I wish 
. It is not mine, it is in my neighborās yard, so I have to wait for my tree to grow. If I plant it next spring - when should I start looking for wood to graft?
Yes if you could practice on the old unknown apple tree that would be nice. Since your in Worcester check out the Umass Amherst center for agriculture. They do seminars for backyard fruit tree growers in the winter. Grafting, pruning ect.
I would think a few years for the trees to establish themselves and have some nice limbs for you to graft.
Thanks, I will look into it.
Ah, Worcester. You might be able to persuade @mamuang to give you a lesson if you go to her place next spring if she is planning on doing any work on her trees. In my area, which is a bit of a drive for you, I know Lexington ran a grafting workshop this spring and I think they also do one at the Arnold Arboretum in JP.
I got some grafting practice by mail ordering scion from Fedco, then grafting (or attemping to anyhow) onto wild or abandoned trees on the bike path I take to work for two years while my baby trees were growing. I bet you could find some decorative crabs around town or in a mall parking lot or something; keep your eye out for apples no one is likely to object to you working on.
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Do you really need order the wood just to try? Can you just cut the wood from the same tree at a proper time, store it like it should be stored, and then graft? Or for actual experience it has to be a different tree?
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Oh sure, you can use wood from the same tree, harvested dormant and stored in the fridge. I just thought it would be cool to have the possibility of good fruit if my grafts were successful.
I will just add my 2 cents as well, in that apple grafting is very easy. Doesnāt mean you canāt mess it up, but if you do your homework, your biggest risk is cutting yourself. And even that Iāve found is easy to learn not to do. For me if I graft onto suitable branches on an established tree, I usually do whip-and-tongue or cleft and instead of having a hand anywhere near the knife I split the wood for the tongue or cleft by holding my box cutter where I want it then gently tapping from the back to work it into the wood.
Apple is very forgiving, if I had one hole I would prefer multiple grafts over possible issues of competition, root-binding, and trunk development from stuffing 2 trees together.
that said, if pollination is your only concern, I really donāt think 100 feet should be an issue.
I thought I had learned this, by always putting a thick leather glove on my left hand when the using the knife in my right. But this spring I found out that I could put the knife (a utility knife) through the glove. 3 months later I still have a bump on my thumb where the tip hit the bone. Iāve since resolved to avoid doing stupid things like using the knife to cut off a small branch when I should just walk 50 feet and get my pruners.
But, yes, grafting apples is pretty forgiving. With somewhat-bad technique you may get 50% take rate and with OK-not-great, you could be over 90%. Iām not like some of the guys on here who make works of art with nice clean cuts, but can still get ~95% take rates on apples and pears. Peaches are another matter though. Make sure to get a roll of parafilm, as it can add some margin for error.
To address the original topic, Ashmeads and Roxbury are both russets, but are very different tasting. Even though AK has had a bit higher brix (sugar) in the samples Iāve had (maybe 21 vs 19), it is a much sharper and strong-flavored apple, while RR is a bit milder. RR isnāt bland- just not over the top like AK. Golden Russet was similar to RR, but a bit more flavor and sugar. I like GR better, but Iāve heard that it can have a few more production issues (insects, rots, etc).
Another good russet is Hudsonās Golden Gem, with large sweet apples. It is also supposed to have some of those same issues as GR. My only HGG tree is on M27, so it hasnāt gotten big enough to produce many apples yet. Which reminds me that I was planning to graft it onto a bigger tree. I need to check if I saved any scionwood from itā¦
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I would just plant the Russian one and then graft onto it later,
Hudson golden gem is a really good apple with flavors of pear in it. Your in a good location in massachusetts to find those apples next year during the season and decide which to graft onto your tree.
Thank you, all! I may try grafting few years from nowā¦
BobVance, thanks for the taste explanation. I think I will put both A and GR, I want to try that Backyard Orchard Culture from Dave Wilson. If it works, I may eventually switch all my 5 spots to multiple planting. I understand, there are many opinions on this method, but I guess only your own experience can tell you if it will work in your site.