Apple tree spacing

[Eoghan]

Looking ahead I am thinking an orchard will give a harvest into my dotage without too much effort (comparative). How far apart should my trees be? I recall my grandfather had three apple trees each about twelve feet apart and 20' tall. I am looking to keep them about ten feet. Mix of apples, pears and cherries.

Thanks in advance,

Eoghan

[ameno]

Depends entirely on what rootstock you have them on, and thus what their final size will be.
On M26 or smaller, you could get away with 6 or 7 foot spacing quite easily, especially if you stagger them.

[Eoghan]

What about planting them. Would you break up the root ball a little? What about adding compost?

[ameno]

If you are buying them bare root then the root ball doesn't need any further breaking up. It won't even have a root ball, per se, anyway, just a collection of loose roots.

I usually do add some compost to the planting holes, but I don't think it's really necessary unless your soil is quite poor. Always mix the compost with some of the soil in the bottom of the planting hole, though. Don't just have a layer of pure compost.