establishing new mix orchard on a filled field

hey everyone

i ordered about a dozen fruit trees for next spring, apple, pears, plum, as well as shrubs and ground cover. (small test but intent to plant lot more)

the location i plan to plant those is full south exposure, with as much sun as you can wish for in a mountainous place.

the specific field (in picture), is actually man made, about 8 years ago the city remodel (reroute) a major road nearby and used my place as drop-off point for all the excess dug-out.

they striped top soil , and replace on top after work done( +- 10 inches). below it, the material look like what i would describe as compaction sand for the first 6 feet, it drain well.

the grass on top has been mostly undisturbed since established at the end of the work. it does not look barren during summer time.


so i was wondering if i should disturb the soil one last time, to incorporated more organic matter, or if being gentle with whatever life has established itself for the last 8 years be a better route.  i was thinking of broadforking the rows and build organic on top as a decent middle ground.


thanks for the input
Bruno

Hi Bruno,

Are there any trees growing in the vicinity of your planned orchard? If hey are not, there may be a reason - not enough nutrients and adverse climatic conditions. In this case I would do a soil test and amend it to help.
If the trees are growing around, then there is a chance yours will grow too, as you will be adding nutrients, in the form of fertilizing/mulching individual trees each spring.

In my opinion climate is a stronger factor than soil quality.

in the vicinity it is all woodland. the soil in those field tho come from deep down underground when they excavate a mountain nearby.
the filling is between only a few feet deep to up to 80 at some places before reaching original ground.

there are plenty of cherry trees that has established on the field since.

i was planning on soil test, but i was under the impression that with added ``life`` within the soil, some nutrient wouldn't show since they might not be readily water solube, but i might be mistaken.

So if cherries are growing, other prunus members should also do fine and apples are even less demanding. Most temperate climate fruits do better in soils with better drainage. My soil has only 1.5% organic matter and my 90 fruit trees are doing fine, way better than my friends' trees on clay soils. You will be adding nutrients on a "per-tree" basis as I do annually. Make sure that you don't have destructive rodents that could decimate your trees by chewing on roots. In this you would have to use root protecting cages (mesh opening not bigger than 12 mm/0.5"). Some apple or pear cultivars may be overly sensitive to drying winds - if you experience them.