Apples & Other Fruits
Orchard Establishment
Cindy and Jeff have their fruit trees and bushes distributed among various areas on the farm. These areas are described below and shown on the aerial photo. Appendix III (PDF, 158 kb) has more detailed maps of fruit tree and shrub locations.
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Farmer’s Perspective: Lessons Learned Cindy and Jeff lost some information on early fruit plantings by not noting which varieties were planted where, a situation they have rectified with improved record keeping and the use of tree tags. They have also learned important lessons about preparing sites for plantings, especially considering they have to deal with poorly drained soils on their site. So far they feel that the combination of grazing hogs through an orchard site in the year preceding a planting, plus their own tilling efforts and soil amendments, has produced good results and will help them revitalize other planting sites in the future.  |
- Jeff and Cindy established the “Fenced Orchard,” in the south-central portion of the property, in 2010. The orchard is a mix of pear and apple trees. They transplanted 6 trees from the Old-New Orchard, and the remaining 39 trees were planted as grafted whips. They prepared the site in 2009 by grazing hogs in the area, which “tilled” the soil and added nutrients. In spring 2010, they tilled strips where the trees were to be planted and added more compost. By 2011, mowing between rows had led to a nice thatch, which they expect to help with weed control and addition of nutrients through slow decomposition of organic matter. Jeff and Cindy fenced the orchard with fence posts made from trees (mostly aspen and balsam) harvested from their own and a neighbor’s property. With the help of a couple of friends, they installed all the posts in a day (after water-sealing them and using a 5’ concrete base for each). They then used inexpensive, easy-to-install plastic fencing to achieve an enclosure good enough to keep poultry in and deer out, at a cost of less than a thousand dollars in equipment rental and supplies. Later, they added an outer layer of chicken wire to the bottom of the plastic fencing to protect it from hares and rabbits, which chewed through the plastic. The chicken wire doesn’t keep out the hares and rabbits, but it keeps the plastic fencing functional enough to keep out the deer.
- Cindy and Jeff established the “Currant and Nursery Beds” in 2010. The beds, located southwest of the house, contain all their currant bushes, blueberry plants (for personal use), two cherry trees, and a plum tree. They plan to convert part of this area to nursery beds for their orchards; other nursery beds are currently located within their personal garden to the southeast of the greenhouse.
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Farmer’s Perspective: On The Bookshelf By Gail Damerow Published by Storey Publishing, this book is a guide to selecting, planning, and building fences intended to keep livestock in or wildlife predators out. It covers various types of fencing, provides illustrations, and addresses related topics such as alarm systems and zoning laws. |
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Spotlight on: Outreach Cindy has been working to restore abandoned trees with neighbors who have heritage orchards and at a historic seedling trial orchard at the old University of Minnesota - Duluth agricultural field station, part of the newly formed Sustainable Agriculture Project. It has been a great opportunity for her to learn the skills of orchard restoration and about heritage fruits in the region. These projects dovetail with her personal interests and were instrumental in giving her the courage to try planting her own orchard using her own trees! She has begun offering a course to help others in the region to learn the skills she has found so valuable on the farm.  |
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