Steve Rea

John Wolfram wrote:I started up a 5-acre orchard in 2010, moved away in 2016, and then in February of 2023 started on an 11-acre orchard.

Here are a few things I'm doing differently:

1) Straight rows of trees rather than the hexagon pattern I used with the first one.

2) No apples. They didn't sell well and were a hassle to maintain.

3) Invest in machinery early. Tending an orchard with a scythe seems a lot nicer on Instagram that it actually is.

4) Don't bother getting a restricted use pesticide license. I won't go into details since this is Permies after all, but let's just say it's rather scary the type of stuff you can get off eBay without needing a license.

5) The best defense against rabbits is a good offense. Trap early, trap often.

6) Take full advantage of your state nursery, it's the cheapest source of trees around

Great info, thanks.  When you say hexagon, do you mean offset a bit in alternating rows, kind of like this?
x  x  x  x  x
 x  x  x  x  x
x  x  x  x  x

If so, curious why?

What machinery will make your life much easier for better care of orchard and better quality of life?
Assume tractor with mower is number one on your list.

Thanks,
Steve

Joseph Lofthouse wrote:I plant tree seedlings very close, like 3 feet apart. Many trees die, I cull many. The final spacing varies from too close to too far apart. The end result resembles a hedge rather than an orchard. I add new trees as needed to fill in gaps.

Very cool, thanks.  With the closer spacing of your seedling orchard, being more hedgelike, how is the harvesting and maintenance?

I see you're in a similar rainfall environment as I am, as we're about 12" a year.  Have you observed any value of the more vigorous rootstock and density with low rainfall and harsh winters?

Hi All,

Thanks for all who are sharing their hard earned experiences on here.

Specifically for high density tree plantings of the larger rootstocks/seedlings, I've read a ton of threads discussing it, with many of us still in the "I think" or "I'm planning to try..." mode.  If some of the veterans who've been there, done that on 1/2 acre or larger could share some experiences, it would be most appreciated.  High density dwarf orchards are relatively standard,

What has your strategy been for tree density (fruit/nut/nitrogen fixers) and what's worked or not for you?

If a semi-dwarf orchard, were you able to get by without staking/support to limit upfront expense and labor (such as on M26 rootstock)?

Have you found any pruning/training protocols that worked well for higher density?

Thanks!

Steve

John F Dean wrote:I would use full size trees.

Thanks John.  Do you have experience with what density you'd do with full sized trees or keep it per normal recommendations?

Any experience pruning/training for easier harvest or are you fine using ladders?

Thanks

s

Hi All,

For those who have actual experience planting and growing at least a half acre or larger of orchards or some variation of guilds/forest gardens, what would you differently if you were to start from scratch now?

What kind of density would you choose for the fruit trees and why?

How would this density lead your choice of seedling or rootstock decisions?

Pruning or training strategy?

Tree harvest plan?

I've read a ton of posts and really appreciate everyone's input.  It would be very much appreciated to keep this to actual experience after having done it at this scale.  Theory, what we've heard or what we plan to do is another great discussion, but it seems that there's no substitute to actual experience.

Thank you in advance for all your years of hard work, learning and sharing your lessons.

Steve

Life is good