Sheryn’s tip:

how to pick the best fruit trees

The rootstock of grafted fruit trees determines how tall they grow. In general, the bigger/taller the tree grows, the more robust it is.

Dwarf trees have small root zones that can’t access moisture and nutrients to the same extent as a large tree.

Fruit trees grown from seeds are generally the largest and most robust of all trees. However, apples are commonly grafted onto different rootstocks with known properties, eg dwarf.

If you want an easy-care tree to survive a low-maintenance food forest environment, choose a hardy, large-growing rootstock that suits your soil. Let it grow and invest in a ladder.