Here is a photo

Keep it outside and plant it when the leaves drop. Protect it from rabbits over winter.

tj

I've grafted trees in early March and 3 weeks later put them in the ground. I put a fence around them like Bills and tie it off to the post. Tying it off isn't even needed until it leafs out, but I do; so I'm done with it. Tie it off to the rootstock and not at the graft. I use twine like you get at the big box store exit.

It's got to go into the ground some time.

'I feel like it's too small to plant'

I've started many types of new seedlings in late winter/early spring and planted them outside the same spring. They just have to be protected. Here's the same tree shown in my first picture as a new seedling, June 2019. I used a homemade tree tube made from milk cartons for protection and one stake to hold it steady. :-)

This view inside shows how small this seedling was. 3"?

Note the mulch covering the ground surrounding the plant. Planting a tree now, it will be important to mulch, this helps insulate the ground over the winter. Snow cover later is a plus.

Fall is a good time to plant because roots will continue to elongate until the ground gets too cold to grow, somewhere around freezing.

"I feel like it's too small to plant"

Conditions in the ground are going to be a million times more consistent that those you can provide indoors in a container.

In the ground truly is the safest and best place for it to spend the winter.

just protect it as illustrated above and remember to deep water regularly until your ground freezes. Not air temps, but frozen ground. You can google it by zip code.

Yes, trees grew in the ground, way before they were ever put into pots. lol ;^)

I've lost more trees trying to grow them in pots. Maybe just my climate here idk.

trees are not houseplants. ...

you will kill it with too much love.. if you try to make it one ..

plant it in mother earth ...... and protect it. as has been said numerous times above ...

this tree HAS TO GO DORMANT ... its natures way ...

good primer below ... just do it ...

ken

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub