Committees:Orchard
From Miller Farm
Some Suggestions
Mulch trees in the fall to protect the roots
Japanese beetles suck. Plant these or make oil from them to spray on the trees to deter them.
- Rue
- Garlic
- White Geranium
remember to beat down the competing weeds once in a while.
There are lots of tappable maple trees around, at least two very near the house and a whole line of them to the east by the community gardens. Syrup from these is delicious and relatively easy to do around school work. They can support taps both in fall and spring but remember to take care of them.
Calender
- April-May - prune orchard trees as needed (see guide to pruning). Cut down any threatening honeysuckle (identified by reams of white flowers now). Mulch small trees.
- Late August - harvest peaches (near community gardens on the compost side)
- Late August-Late September - harvest apples (in patches around the farm, some near peach tree, others by beehives, others near radio tower)
Guide to Pruning
- We have mostly peaches apples and cherries on our land. the apples are scattered, the peaches and cherries more concentrated where we can find them in patches in the new orchard and by the community garden. These types of trees fall on a continuum of pruning and other fruit trees fit in somewhere.
Apples will only flower and fruit on the outer shell of branches and leaves. The interior of the tree can be kept empty enough to throw a cat through. Removing runners along the main branches is useful, but use intuition and the shape of the tree to determine which outer branches to remove, try to remove as little of the outside as possible, but if one branch is shading 3 others, it's ok to remove it. Cherries will only flower and fruit towards the center of the tree. Thinning should be the main concern. Peaches grow throughout. I've never pruned a peach tree.
