(Zone 6, North Indiana) I am interested in having large fruiting trees such as apple and black walnut, and I understand that they take a very long time to grow. Right now I'm renting a place I don't intend to stay in for more than a few years. I'm wondering if I could get started now by buying the saplings and growing them in large pots, then in a few years when I get my own property, transfer them into the ground.

To sum up, my main questions:

Can you grow produce trees in pots early in their life and transfer them later on?

How long can you keep them in the pots before it hurts the plant? A year? 2? 5?

Would it be better to plant them in the ground, and then just transplant them when I move?

Or is this a bad idea all together and I need to be more patient once I get some property?

Thank you very much for your help.