James Grieve
Apple in the UK

You'll be planting bare-root apple trees, usually from November right through to March when they're dormant. Find a good sunny spot, sheltered if you can. Dig a hole that's twice as wide as the roots spread and deep enough so the graft union, that's the knobbly bit, stays a good 10-15 cm above soil level. Spread those roots out nicely, backfill with soil mixed with a bit of compost, and firm it down with your boot. Give it a good water straight away, and stake it proper to stop it rocking in the wind, especially up here where it can get breezy, you know what I mean.

Once your bare-root tree is in, it's all about getting it established. Make sure you've picked the right rootstock for your space – some are proper big trees, others are little dwarf ones for pots. Give it plenty of room to spread out, usually a few metres between trees depending on the rootstock. You won't be pricking out or hardening off like with your veg, just letting it settle in and start growing strong roots.