You have to define what you mean by 'little spraying'. You could probably get by with minimal
spraying (say once or twice a month) with an orchard spray that has
both fungicide and pesticide. You could try a disease resistant apple tree like
William's Pride or Liberty, but you still might have a problem with insects. If you are
willing to lose a portion of your crop to insects, you may not have to spray these
trees. Be sure and buy dwarf or semi-dwarf trees, as they are much easier to maintain, and give
plenty of fruit. If you follow the advice about protecting the trunks, plus you cover the base of
the trees with a few inches of mulch, you should
mimize the affect of temperature swings and strong winter sun.

Sherwin D.

cricket wrote:

I dont have a yard now but am trying to help daughter. We live in lower
midwest-about 40 miles east of st louis. we have good soil but temperature
drops can be extreme. I remember doing fruit trees myself. Many days in summer
of 90-100 % humidity brought all kinds of diseases to my peach trees. I have
heard that sour cherry trees dont require spraying & did get one to grow about 3
years when it too died. What are the best fruits for this kind of environment
with little or no spraying required?