How to Plan and Plant your own Orchard
How to Plan and Plant Your Own Orchard: A Step-by-Step Guide
Discovering the Joy of Heritage Fruit
There is nothing quite like the taste of a homegrown apple. Most people only encounter the same four or five apple varieties in supermarkets. Britain alone boasts over two thousand heritage apple varieties. The presenter maintains a personal collection of a hundred different fruit varieties. Researching local heritage varieties is the essential first step before planning an orchard. Each region holds a wealth of historic fruit varieties with unique stories. Heritage variety names often carry a poetic quality.
Choosing the Right Varieties
Examples include D Cox Favorite, Doddlins, Hordas Red, and Gladstone. Other notable ones are Jones's Seedling, King Charles, King of the Pippins, and Made King. Lord Hindley and Madras Pippin also stand out among regional treasures. Focus on growing fruits you truly enjoy, such as apples, pears, or plums. Avoid planting varieties that might go to waste unused. Think carefully about how the orchard will serve your needs.
Deciding on Orchard Scale and Style
This guide targets hobby or community orchards rather than large commercial operations. Decide on the scale and style after choosing what to grow. Consider small semi-dwarfing trees for easier management. Opt for traditional standard trees if you prefer a classic orchard look. Standard trees require spacing of 7 to 10 meters apart. Standard trees feature a high crown and clean trunk. Under standard trees, you can graze animals or make hay from the grass. Semi-dwarf or bush trees need only 3 to 5 meters between them. Semi-dwarf trees allow easy picking without ladders. They also simplify pruning tasks significantly.
Planning the Layout for Success
Group similar fruit types together in the layout. Plant all apples with apples and pears with pears. Grouping similar types improves pollination by insects. Insects travel shorter distances when trees are grouped. Grouping makes harvesting more efficient overall. The Worcester Black Pear is an ancient cooking pear that stores all winter. Grass management is a key consideration in any orchard. You can graze animals to control the grass naturally. Alternatively, mow the grass at regular intervals. Plan mowing widths to match three or four tractor passes. Avoid awkward intervals like two and a half or three and a quarter widths. Wider, even intervals improve mowing efficiency. An eco-friendly grassland approach supports biodiversity.
Planting Your Trees Correctly
Plant bare-root trees ideally in December before Christmas. Early winter planting lets roots settle before the ground gets too cold. Trees establish well over the winter months this way. Source trees from a specialist fruit tree nursery. Dig a square hole rather than a round one. Square holes prevent roots from circling around the edges. Round holes can restrict proper root spread outward. Fit the hole comfortably to the tree's roots without forcing them. Apply mycorrhizal root powder to boost establishment. This natural fungus helps roots connect with soil nutrients. Mycorrhizae prove especially useful on poor or disturbed soils. Backfill the hole using the original excavated soil. Plant the tree
