Growing apples and pears in your backyard is not as simple as just digging hole, plopping in a tree and waiting for the bounty. Contra Costa Master Gardener Darlene DeRosa says you need to do research ...

An abundant harvest of apples in autumn is a delight for the home orchardist. But some years, a bumper crop of apples can cause unanticipated stress to apple trees when there is more or heavier fruit ...

Broadly speaking, apples grow on trees in two basic configurations, spur bearing and tip bearing. The most common type we see nowadays are spur-bearing trees. Spurs are modified shoots usually less ...