Q.What Fruit Trees Should I Get To Be Successful
Hi! Our family is interested in starting a mini orchard and have a few questions on the best fruit trees to start with. We are hoping to start a variety of dwarf fruit trees including: apples, peaches, pears and cherries. Our first question is what types of apples cross pollinate well by being planted together. We were hoping to get 3 or 4 trees and enjoy Honey crisp, Gala and Macintosh. Will these work together? The second question if pear trees also need another variety to pollinate. Third question is, do all of these fruit trees come in dwarf sizes? Thanks in advance for you help. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Certified GKH Gardening Expert
I would advise reading up on all these fruit trees before buying any. If you want to grow fruit trees successfully, you must commit to a regular spraying schedule or the trees will be plagued by disease and insects. It's also important to know your hardiness zone and the hardiness zone of the trees you want to buy.
When looking for trees for pollination, ask at the nursery where you buy, they should have the best pollinators. They should flower at the same time and be of the same species. So you would need to know when the apple trees flower that you want to pollinate. Also look for grafted varieties for the best and quickest fruiting. Your local extension office would be a great source of information about growing fruit trees.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/apples/apple-tree-planting.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/fegen/fruit-tree-spacing-in-gardens.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/peach/peach-tree-care.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/cherry/cherry-tree-care.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/pear/growing-pear-trees.htm
You can find more information on our website: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com and by searching the publications online offered by the nearest extension service.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/what-is-extension-service.htm