For a sweet, crisp apple, try the Honeycrisp or the Goodland. Norland is a soft apple, and even though it is shaped like a Red Delicious, it is soft.
For the apples, they "pulse". But if you have a few varieties, they seem to alternate if they are planted year after year so that there is different sizes growing and one tree or the other will have a good year, As Long As the Spring is Dry and WARM. No bees, no fruit.
As for the pears, never seen one that was good Edmonton and north, but plums seem to work! Problem is a lot of plum trees have pretty wicked spikes that can really hurt if you are not careful. Some plums are so sour that you pull your anus through your tonsils on the first bite, so I have not been impressed to date.
Drewski
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