Our primary role as orchardists is to build system health. Embracing forest edge ecology is critical when it comes to getting a leg up on fruit tree diseases and addressing pest challenges. Equally telling is the nutrient density—and flavor!—of the apples we then harvest for our families and communities. Come learn about fungal allies, root relationships, and the biodiversity that makes good fruit possible. Holistic orcharding involves a wide breadth of knowledge and timeliness, yet one fact stands clear—we can have beautiful apples, peaches and the like, all grown without chemical intervention. This whirlwind tour touches on a broad range of alternative approaches to meet the challenges at any site.
Insect pests can do a number on harvest hopes in the organic orchard. Damage is either to the foliage or the fruit itself. Some of this consists of adult feeding, but more often than not it’s the egg hatching out a very hungry caterpillar or grub. Looking at family groupings within the insect world is a quick means of getting a handle on potential pest situations. Safe spray tools to deal with all this require that we understand righteous timing and appropriate mode of action. A core paradigm of holistic orcharding states that we spray not so much to “kill” as to create health so that the system can take care of itself. That begins with helpful allies in the orchard ecosystem which keep balance to the fore.
Our primary role as orchardists is to build system health. Embracing forest edge ecology is critical when it comes to getting a leg up on fruit tree diseases and addressing pest challenges. Equally telling is the nutrient density—and flavor!—of the apples we then harvest for our families and communities. Come learn about fungal allies, root relationships, and the biodiversity that makes good fruit possible. Holistic orcharding involves a wide breadth of knowledge and timeliness, yet one fact stands clear—we can have beautiful apples, peaches and the like, all grown without chemical intervention. This whirlwind tour touches on a broad range of alternative approaches to meet the challenges at any site.
Saturday September 22, 2012 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
North OrchardThe garden plots and orchard located north of the Folk Arts, east of Energy and Shelter, and south of the Rose Gate Farmers' Market
How to create and maintain a poly-culture orchard where fruit trees and a wide assortment of companion plants, small fruits and even vegetables interact and work together to create a healthy environment for growing food.
Which are the best apples and other tree fruits to grow in this bioregion that will “knock your socks off” with incredible flavor? Michael will share decades’ worth of insight in answering that fundamental orcharding question. We’ll delve into cider lore, the right number of tree to plant for a homestead or community orchard, and growing considerations for specific cultivars from an organic perspective as well.