Do your apple trees produce a good crop every year or every other year?

I don’t know. You have to ask the squirrels. My trees produce a lot each year but due to the squirrels picking them at half size the tree never falls in an alternate bearing years.

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Well, there’s the answer to your question. I sympathize with the idea, but the cold reality is that apples left on their own (total no spray) will usually fall victim to insects and disease. You have to get really lucky to have consistent crops.

Some varieties are more resistant than others. Walk through the woods looking at feral apples; or walk past some abandoned farms looking at surviving heirloom trees. Most of the time you’ll find either (a) no fruit, or (b) severely damaged fruit. I’ver had the best luck finding feral apples when the ripe fruit is not red; red attracts certain insects and birds. Russets seem a relatively good bet. Green/yellow apples too.

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