Newbie pondernng opportunities for orange grove

Hello all

I took a permaculture design course years back but after some personal issues, the plans I had to start a forest garden were scrapped. Now 5 years on, I'm living in Crete and have a rare opportunity to buy a piece of land for a very good price through a personal contact!

Originally, we were looking for somewhere where we could park our camper van and have a base, but since I've wanted to grow food for a long time now, I'm thinking of other possibilities.

At the moment, there's around 60 orange trees with trunks spaced 3 metres apart (with the exception of a larger area big enough to park our van) which are producing.

However, many of the trees have been pruned so they're very low - around 1-15.m from the ground. I have no knowledge on fruit trees or tree pruning as what would help if at least some of the trees weren't so low, even if it means they won't produce fruit since there's already an abundance.

I had originally been hoping to build a small workshop or have room to put my bell tent,, though I'm not sure it would be feasible to dig out and replant any of the orange trees elsewhere. 3 metres space between trunks really is very tight!

I'm wondering what other options there would be to grow food with that amount of shade from the orange trees. I read comfrey, sweet potato, narsturiums and herbs are a good option. I'm also interested in mushroom cultivation, though I'm also not sure if mushroom beds are an option in the shade of the trees since I read somewhere that orange trees are anti-fungal?

Anyway, I'm just musing at this point and need to arrange a proper viewing of the site, though any initial ideas would be most welcome! I took a short video this morning of the approx 16m width of the site facing south towards the mountains but unfortunately can't post it.

A bit about the site:

Climate zone for region: 10a
Water: accessible with tap next to plot
Size: approx 29m x 16m, gated
Soil: needs further investigation but seems to be loamy with good ground coverage of various herbs, grasses
Surroundings: olive and orange groves

Many thanks!

Louise

Sounds nice.  Are the orange trees currently being sprayed?  Is so, will the monoculture quickly succumb to a pest or disease if you stop?

Is the grove being mowed?  If so, is there a possibility of using geese to mow it and produce a return?

I am in zone 7a, and even I am considering the possibilities of being able to grow oranges outside. The closest cultivar is a Mortan citrange which is hardy to about 5 degrees. We get down to zero most years, but it shouldn't stop me long term from continuing to cross it with poncirus to get a stable cross for cold tolerance and flavor. One of my long-term projects is having Kentucky grown oranges.