There are some instructional videos on Hortykim's site, well worth watching if you are a novice.
http://hortykim.blip.tv/file/525836/ http://hortykim.blip.tv/?sort=date;date=;view=archive;user=hortykim;nsfw=dc;s=posts;page=13 Check out too the The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist (Chelsea Green's Master Grower Gardening Series) (Paperback)
by Michael Phillips
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Grower-Organic-Orchardist-Gardening/dp/1890132047 Whilst this book is not a Permaculture one, it is organic growing.
Edible Forest Gardens Vol I and II are Permaculture books, we found Vol I was by far the best, more informative, good bit on ecological theories
http://www.edibleforestgardens.com/ We have made some good mistakes growing apple trees Permie style: We can tell you more what not to do more than what to do:
We have not been able to grow the apples (fruit) successfully in a forest setting. The trees grow but produce no fruit. The trees themselves have not been very healthy. We grew some on the edge of a shelter belt, this did not work because they grew too slowly as they are grafted trees. This meant that they were quickly shaded out by the other trees such as nut trees.
The best results we have had so far is growing them on an earthworked terrace system. By digging channels which filled from the pond terracing the banks then planting fruit trees on the south facing banks. The link below is to my Multiply site, go back to the very start of the pictures to see the process.
We live in the North East of England. The terrace system works well in our area because we suspect that drainage is a major issue in growing healthy trees. The drainage feature may not be an advantage in the area you live in. The terraces are creating some kind of microclimate, this natural protection from frost may be a contributing factor (?) in producing healthier, fruit bearing trees. We have not used any chemicals, nor even pruned as part of the overall strategy. Fukuoka in his book The Natural Way of Farming suggests that pruning should be kept to a minimum. The problem is that it is a graft so it is not a real tree which means it may HAVE to be pruned.
http://fukuokafarmingol.info/fintro.html The problems with growing on an earthworked terrace system are mainly that we planted them too close together. The difficulty here is that if you plant them too far apart, they don't seem to thrive at all. Interesting to hear how you get on, keep us posted.
http://bellapermaculture.multiply.com/