Twenty years ago, when apples suddenly became a profitable crop to plant in California’s San Joaquin Valley, few had experience in growing the new fruit. Outside the state’s central and northern coast, where Gravenstein and Newtown Pippin varieties were produced in cool, coastal climates, apple production on a commercial scale in the San Joaquin Valley was new. Some growers looked to their neighbors in the Pacific Northwest to learn about rootstocks and training systems; others tried growing the fruit similar to tree fruit crops that they already grew, such as cherries. For those that have stayed with apples, it’s been […]