Page 31 - Green Builder March-April 2016 Issue

CREDIT: ANDREW DUNN

Tips for Home OrchardsISIONS OF BASKETS full of fruit often compel CREDIT: JUSTIN JAMES MUIR

homeowners to buy inexpensive bare-root fruit Fruit Stand. Food-growing plants needn’t be confined to areas
designated as such; for example, the arbor structure supports a
V trees during the first sunny days of early spring. But vining kiwi.
it’s far better to proceed with caution. Share these
tips with your clients to help them design a home orchard the orchard,” says Muir. These plants helped stabilize the soil and
that’s a good match for their skills and, more importantly, fix nitrogen. Today, a path winds through the orchard to allow for
their time and energy. ease of plant care, harvest and enjoyment.

Plantforsuccess. Research what varieties are commercially “Food security is important, but people should grow food because
grown in the area, and match varieties for the region. Peaches they enjoy it,” says Dave Barmon, co-owner of Fiddlehead LLC.
are a good choice for central Texas, not for the Pacific
Northwest coast. The vegetable and food gardens are strategically located close
to the house. A central vegetable plot serves as a flexible space,
Choose easy varieties. Species that produce well with depending on the family’s available time for gardening. One year, it
little maintenance include common medlar (a bushy tree that was planted with a variety of veggies; the next year, it was planted
produces an apple-like fruit), Asian persimmons, pawpaw, figs, with a cover of mint. GB
cherries and some citrus varieties. Raspberries and blackberries
are fairly easy to grow; blueberries require more care. March/April 2016 GREEN BUILDER 29

Keep it close. As with vegetable and herb gardens, the
closer your orchard is to your house, the likelier you are to
take care of it.

Be honest with yourself. Planting and even growing the
trees is the easy part. When fruit is ready to harvest, will you
have time to harvest and process it?

Prune faithfully. Maintain a strong central leader and
remove water spouts and suckers each year. In general, semi-
dwarf fruit trees are a good choice for their manageable size.

Maintain your orchard. This includes picking up ripe
fruit that has fallen. If left on the ground, it can be a vector
for diseases.

Keep records. You might think you’ll remember what
varieties you’ve planted, but years down the road, you will
be grateful to have a record of what worked and what didn’t.

Source: Fiddlehead LLC

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