There is something quietly satisfying about planting a bare-root fruit tree on a cold, bright winter's day. The tree looks like little more than a bundle of sticks, yet in a few years' time it will be carrying blossom in spring and fruit in late summer. Bare-root trees are cheaper than container-grown ones, establish faster and come in a far wider choice of varieties. Get the planting right and you have set the tree up for decades of cropping.

Why timing matters

Bare-root trees are lifted from the nursery field while dormant and sold with the soil shaken off their roots. That means they must go back into the ground during the dormant season, roughly from November through to late March. The ideal window is late autumn and early winter, while the soil is still warm from summer but the tree has stopped growing. Roots can then settle in before the cold arrives and will be ready to move as soon as spring temperatures rise.

Delay planting if the ground is frozen solid, covered in standing water or heavy with snow. A bare-root tree in a frost-free shed, with its roots wrapped in damp newspaper or heeled into a temporary trench, will keep for a week or two quite happily. Small, fibrous roots dry out very quickly, so never leave a bundle of trees lying about in the open air.

Preparing the ground before the tree arrives

Fruit trees are long-term tenants, so the ground deserves more than a quick scrape with a spade. Clear a square metre or more of perennial weeds, especially couch grass and bindweed, which will compete hard with young roots. Fork over the top 30cm (12in), breaking up any compaction, and dig deeper in the base of the planting hole if you hit a hardpan.

A common mistake is to fill the planting hole with a rich mix of compost and fertiliser while the surrounding soil stays poor. The roots then circle happily within that pocket instead of venturing out. Use the soil you dug out, mixed with a couple of handfuls of well-rotted manure or garden compost, and improve the wider area instead. Most top fruit crops prefer a pH of about 6.5 to 7, so test if you are unsure. Bare-root trees also benefit from a dusting of mycorrhizal fungi over the roots, particularly on tired or sandy ground.

Choosing the right spot and spacing

Most fruit trees want full sun and shelter from strong winds, though a site with sun for at least half the day will still crop reasonably. Avoid frost pockets at the bottom of a slope, where early blossom can be cut down, and keep trees well away from house foundations, drains and boundary fences.

Spacing depends entirely on the rootstock, which controls how large the tree will grow. For apples, the common choices are:

• M27 and M9 — dwarfing, ideal for containers, cordons and small gardens, spaced 1.5m to 3m apart.
• M26 — semi-dwarfing, a good all-rounder for the average garden, spaced 3m to 4m apart.
• MM106 — vigorous, suited to larger plots, grass orchards and heavier soils, spaced 4m to 5m apart.
• M25 — very vigorous, for traditional standards, needing 5m to 6m or more.

The same principle applies to pears, plums, cherries and damsons, each with their own rootstock names. If you plant two apples, check their pollination group and flowering time, or choose a self-fertile variety such as a cooker like 'Greensleeves'.

Planting, step by step

Soak the roots in a bucket of water for 30 minutes to an hour before planting, and trim any that are broken or badly tangled.

• Dig a hole wide enough to take the roots fully spread, and no deeper than the nursery soil mark on the trunk.
• Drive in a stake before planting, so you do not damage roots later. A short stake set at a 45-degree angle, pointing into the prevailing wind, is ideal for most young trees.
• Hold the tree so the old soil mark sits level with the surrounding ground, then backfill in stages, firming gently with your heel as you go.
• Check the tree is upright and the graft union sits well clear of the soil. Burying it can encourage the scion to root and lose the dwarfing effect.
• Water thoroughly with 10 to 20 litres, even if rain is forecast, to settle the soil around the roots.

Staking, tying and mulching

Tie the trunk to the stake with a proper adjustable tree tie, using a buffer to stop chafing. Check the tie each spring and loosen it as the trunk thickens. Mulch with 5cm to 7cm of well-rotted manure or bark in a ring about a metre across, but keep it 10cm clear of the trunk to avoid rotting the bark and inviting mice. Fit a spiral guard or mesh sleeve if rabbits, deer or strimmers are a risk.

The first year of aftercare

Water young trees thoroughly once a week through the first growing season — a full 20 litres per tree rather than a daily sprinkle. Keep a weed-free circle around the trunk for at least two years. Prune lightly after planting to balance the top growth with the roots you have left behind: on a maiden, shorten the leader by about a third to encourage branching. Thereafter, formative pruning each winter will build a strong framework and, in a few seasons, your first proper harvest.