You do not need to start over.
According to the International Society of Arboriculture, mulching with wood chips or bark is one of the most beneficial practices you can
do for the health of your tree. A 2- to 4-inch layer of mulch can re-create aspects of a forest's soil environment. The mulch should be shaped like a doughnut. Keep the mulch a few inches away from the trunk.  Mulches improve the structure and fertility of your soil when it breaks down. Mulch conserves soil moisture by increasing water infiltration and slowing evaporation. It eliminates potential trunk damage caused by mowers and trimmers. Please read more about the benefits of mulching. https://extension.psu.edu/mulching-landscape-trees

Next Year you will need to spray your trees for insects starting  when flower buds begin to turn pink. Please read the following sites to learn how to care for your apple trees. Prune your trees in late winter. You have several types of insects in your apples. Remove and dispose of all dropped fruit to reduce next years insect population.

https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-apples#insects-1143610

Some of the fruit will naturally drop off the tree in mid June, but the tree may be left with more fruit than it can support. Thin the fruit by removing the small apples to avoid having a heavy crop of small apples followed by little or no crop the next year. Thinning will help to produce larger, less deformed fruit.

https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-apples

http://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/fruit/apple/fruitholes.html