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Laying out first Home Orchard

bchiker
9 years ago

Please help I'm in the process of putting in my first Home Orchard. I need advice on the right way of laying it out. I've ordered a variety of different trees, listed below. I'm going to plant my trees in a single row running east to west. The Sun rises in the east and most of the time the wind also comes from the east. All the trees I've ordered are dwarfs. My questions are how to arrange them for wind resistance, to stop fungus, pest and disease transfer, pollination and ease of spraying. Also please add in any other input.
1 Nectarine
1 Apricot
2 Apples, 1 Pink Lady, 1 Honeycrisp
2 Pears, 1 Bartlett, 1 Asian
2 Burbank Peach

Comments (51)

  • fireduck
    9 years ago

    bc...I am glad you are giving this thought. Half the battle has been won already! Your nectarine and peach trees are the most susceptible to fungal disease. Plant them where you think they will get the first morning sun. Some of your dwarfs will naturally be bigger/more aggressive than others. Try to prevent the larger ones from shading the smaller ones. There are many variables which you have not shared....ie what specific rootstocks you chose. Continue your research...you will be fine.

  • milehighgirl
    9 years ago

    Your apricot will need a pollinator.

  • bchiker
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I ordered the Wilson Delicious Apricot from Stark's bro's they say it's a self pollinator. ????
    Also I understand about fungal disease on the stone fruit but in my line of trees which one first. What is the smartest order?

    This post was edited by bchiker on Thu, Nov 6, 14 at 20:00

  • skyjs
    9 years ago

    Very good drainage. Good pruning when it is not wet for the stone fruit to not invite in disease. Plant non-related plants in between to fight disease, like green leafy vegies or blueberries. Lots of Organic material in the soil. Ask other locals what does well there, for example, peaches, nectarines and apricots are really difficult in our long cold wet springs.
    John S
    PDX OR

  • alan haigh
    9 years ago

    First thing that is most urgent is to cancel your order and listen to the advice of growers in your region of what varieties are best to grow and how much input they will require.

    I'm in a somewhat easier area to grow fruit and ordered my first trees from Starks 25 years ago (first trees I tried growing outside CA that is). Not a single one worked for my region and nothing in the catalog gave a clue. Their inventory is tilted to the mid-west. Some of their varieties will work where you are but the odds aren't good if you don't double check here first and get feedback from growers in your area.

    The alarm went off when you said Wilson Delicious apricot. Who the hell grows that variety? You probably should be planting Tomcot and in the east apricots are apparently not reliably self-fruitful. In such a limited orchard you should probably begin with peaches if you enjoy them. Much more consistent croppers.

    Pink Lady is probably a good choice, but I don't know about Honeycrisp- it is hard enough to grow here. I think the first six trees should be selected based a lot on the reliability of the cultivar. Whatever you grow will probably knock your socks off when you taste it off the tree.

  • RedSun (Zone 6, NJ)
    9 years ago

    Best way is to visit a good local U-pick orchard to see what they grow. All the varieties should be very good for your orchard. That should be enough for your needs.

    Since you have a small orchard, cut down on the types of trees and grow fewer types of trees. For each type, you'll need at least 2-3 trees together for better pollination. Say, two apple trees, should flower and ripen at similar time. And not all trees will pollinate all others.

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    9 years ago

    Listen to harvestman. Success with fruit trees is very location specific. You need varieties that are known to produce well in your area. Once you know what will work, then you can order from whatever vendor you like that carries that cultivar.

    Still plenty of time to do your research and order in time for spring planting.

  • Fascist_Nation
    9 years ago

    I don't think I would have been quite as extreme as Harvestman, but I would agree with his suggestions IF the OP has not done his homework. It is true starting off is already hard enough; plant the things that are known successful in your area and that is usually local family nurseries with a certified arborist present. Experimenting can come later if you get bit by the orcharding bug.

    You can Internet search for info and discover your area.
    http://www.davewilsonforums.com/index.php/showpost.php?p=18629&postcount=6

    But the above is by no means complete: What is the soil like in your yard, drainage, shadows throughout the year, prevailing winds (windrose), overhead and underground utilities, fencing other structures, appropriate rootstocks, known pests and disease, last freeze, last avg. freeze date???? And other questions. People who live there have the answers.

    Here is a link that might be useful: MD Fruit Tree starter

  • RedSun (Zone 6, NJ)
    9 years ago

    The OP will be overwhelmed with all the questions.... Try to keep it simple. Get some varieties known to be good in local area and get them. If they do not grow, cut them down, replace them with something else. There is nothing that is perfect....

  • bchiker
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for all your very enlightening responses. As part of my research I had set up an appointment with my local Maryland Extension service. I originally made this appointment to talk about spray schedules. But after your responses, we talked mostly about my tree selection. Harvestman, you are right. The extension service told me that my plan was just not right for my area. So after talking for about 2 hours about root stocks, tree type and size, fireblight, sprays and pest in my area--you got it--order canceled! He said the best time to plant was April. Not to rush my order and what root stocks to look for. So now back to the drawing board and I get to bug the wife about my selections for a few more months. The only question I have is what ever happened to going to Lowes picking out a tree, planting it and getting a few apples? Am I making this too hard?

    This post was edited by bchiker on Fri, Nov 7, 14 at 17:25

  • alan haigh
    9 years ago

    No, you are making it much easier by trying to start with the right varieties. Every hour you spend on this will save you 50 in wasted time.

    You are lucky you are getting good advice from your cooperative extension- it can be hit or miss depending on the knowledge of the horticulturist in charge. Their info base is mostly from research about commercial fruit production which is helpful but must always be taken with a grain of salt. Commercial growers need to produce pristine fruit while at the same time growing so many trees that pests will likely find their orchards.

    Incidentally, are there may squirrels in your neighborhood?

  • bchiker
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Right again, sounded like alot of what I got from the extension office was based for commercal growers. But he was able to put it into terms for a home orchard.
    And YES we have squirrels

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    9 years ago

    Makes a difference where you live as to the expertise of the extension service.

    Washington - where I live - is a huge commercial fruit producing state. But most of the commercial production is grown east of the Cascades whereas the bulk of the population lives west of the Cascades. Vastly different climates between the two and what grows in E.WA. generally is not at all appropriate for W. WA. No red or golden Delicious grown here!!

    But the W. WA extension service has done a series of trials (from 1965 to 2009) on fruit varieties that thrive in our mild, wet winters (short chill periods) and cool summers (low heat units) and published numerous booklets outlining these varieties and their care. These are intended primarily for home growers, not commercial orchards. They are an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to start a home orchard or just grow a few fruit trees and some berries. They've also developed a number of fruit varieties specifically for the local market.

    Here is a link that might be useful: WSU Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center

  • alan haigh
    9 years ago

    Squirrels can be a challenge. If you don't put up some kind of electric deterrent or lethal traps I suggest you train the trees with a straight trunk with scaffolds that begin above 4'. Search this sight for info about squirrels because they can be heartbreaking in some neighborhoods.

  • lucky_p
    9 years ago

    So many points ringing true.
    We went crazy planting apples 20 years ago. Most were not suitable for our location. Of over 60 varieties I had at one time...only a handful have been worth the space they occupied, and most are no longer here - and most of those remaining are only here because I've not gotten around to taking the chainsaw to them.
    On the extension agents...true again. One who was in residence when we first moved here was of no use unless you were growing tobacco. Current ag agent is good on row crops - but we also now have a horticulture agent - he's best on ornamentals and vegetables, but is passable for fruits - though he contacts me on occasion for advice (not that I've got much for him other than..."No, that one won't work here."). He's willing to learn new stuff!
    Take your time. Do your homework. Lots of good, real-world experience at this site - ask questions; most here will help as they can - and are not afraid to say, "I don't know."

  • alan haigh
    9 years ago

    bchiker, lucky for you, you are trying this in Maryland and not the fair state of KY. Your weather is more ocean moderated and that makes a world of difference.

    You might want to e-mail Scott Smitth directly for some guidance here since he has surprisingly not chipped in yet. He is successfully growing many, many varieties in your state. His perspective is much different than mine in that he seems to gravitate strongly to unusual varieties while I appreciate mainstream varieties if they taste at least almost as good and are much more productive and easier to grow.

    That isn't to say he doesn't take into account those traits, but maybe not with the same emphasis since he's growing so much more fruit than he probably needs for personal use.

  • appleseed70
    9 years ago

    Bchiker...sounds like you got lucky and got in touch with the only knowledgeable person Maryland's extension employs. I didn't even know they had anyone that knew anything other than what day they got paid. I'm serious they are a completely useless bunch of unhelpful tards.

    Your time spent reading here and elsewhere online will serve you far better. Don't be surprised if you find out that your contact person doesn't even have an agricultural or horticultural degree. Our local agent didn't. He knew exactly nothing and couldn't care less about any of it. If you contact them to get a publication they are totally lost...none of them (at least in our county) seem to have any grasp of what their role or function is even supposed to be. Tremendous waste of taxpayer dollars...plain and simple.

  • alan haigh
    9 years ago

    Appleseed, I don't think it is fair to evaluate the entire system based on such a tiny sample. My cooperative extension here in Putnam County NY is quite useful and I am not sure you are making proper use of yours. They are supposed to be a link to the states agricultural land grant university and as such should have information specific to the state hard to get elsewhere.

    Even if you have a bad apple you should be able to use the extension to get help from the university itself.

    My office has had two employees with degrees in horticulture, one is now retiring. They do not have a lot of experience with fruit trees but communicate with the gurus at Cornell when they need help. I use them primarily for identifying pest or pest damage and have found them extremely helpful in this regard.

    Of course you can't rely on them for all the information needed regarding home orchards, that is not a subject of national, economic importance anymore. They are dealing with ever shrinking funding but still do a fantastic job.

    If you want to talk about a waste of money, let me tell you about my corporate health insurance co.

  • appleseed70
    9 years ago

    Harvestman...I'm not speaking of Putnam county NY., everything I've said is more than fair. Has your experience with the Univ. of Maryland been different? They are a medical institution. first and foremost, and have no interest in agriculture, commercial or otherwise. I know also what they're role is supposed to be...I said they don't.
    I have no doubt of the value of extension agents elsewhere. I've made use of them. West Virginia has a helpful and knowledgeable group who are eager to help and seem to be passionate about their field of work and study.
    Maryland stands in stark contrast. Useless bunch of disinterested deadbeats collecting paychecks for doing nothing more than traveling to College Park on occasion for meetings. Apparently the only employment criteria was a pulse and meeting with affirmative action guidelines.

    If they are shrinking Maryland's funding then good...it should be shrank to a level of comparative value, which in this case would be zero.

  • alan haigh
    9 years ago

    OK, Appleseed. I'll take your word for it. Just didn't want folks to be discouraged from using their own extensions.

  • bchiker
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Harvestman and others, After taking the time to digest and doing more research, I'm really not sure how much help the extension service was. On one hand, they gave me more information and things to look for, but on the other hand, I've cancelled my order and am a little more mixed up than before I visited their office. It would have been so nice if I would have left their office with a plan and even a shopping cart for an online nursery filled with the right trees for my area. They gave me the names of a few mail order nurseries that they thought would be able to help me. But, when I went to the nursery's sites some of the things I was told by the Extension Service didn't seem true. One thing they said was to try to order apples on a Geneva-16. As far as I can tell, the best I can get is EMLA-26 not recommended by them, because of fireblight problems in my area. I would also like the smallest of the dwarf rootstock available maybe BUD-9 but also not recommended by them. They also said I would not be able to get dwarf pears, Asian or European, yet I see them for sale. I feel at this point I should be able to contact one nursery and buy 3 apple trees, 2 pear trees, and 3 peach trees that will be successful in my area and give me a satisfactory yield. Not to mention the fact that they told me I would need 10 different sprays throughout the year or use an all-in-one spray this forum has been very hard on saying it just doesn't work. Harvestman, will you build me a shopping cart somewhere with the common early, mid, and late apples and peaches. HELP!

  • Scott F Smith
    9 years ago

    Hi bchiker. Welcome to the fun! Here are some comments based on my experience growing fruit in Maryland. I am mostly organic and do 5-6 sprays a year. The fruit doesn't always look pretty but it still tastes good.

    For apple rootstock, just avoid M26 and M9. Bud9 and M7 are both good, any Geneva root is better but they can be hard to source. But I think the top variety is far more important than the rootstock for fireblight avoidance. Get easy to grow apples, either modern or heirloom ones. Pink Lady is pretty easy but barely ripens in time. If you are in southern Maryland it should be OK. Skip Honeycrisp, its hard to grow.

    For the pears, you will need two asians and two euros if they are to get pollinated. I find OH333 or quince to be good dwarfing stocks and have not had much fireblight problem on either. Seckel is a relatively easy European pear; small but one of the most tasty of all. Also the Harrow series is good. Seckel is supposed to be self-fruitful.

    For the stone fruits, avoid nectarines. For apricots I would only recommend Tomcot, most apricots do not do well. Most peaches do OK if from an eastern nursery.

    There is no reason you have to order from the same place, its not too hard to make online orders from a couple places. Some good southern/eastern nurseries to look at are Johnson Nursery, Adams County Nursery, Cummins Nursery, etc. Raintree isn't an eastern nursery but they have many selections that do well. Fruittreefarm.com has really good prices and particularly nice peaches -- try e.g. Winblo and Carolina Gold, two highly disease resistant ones they sell.

    My suggestion is look at these and other nurseries and come up with a revised list.

    Scott

  • appleseed70
    9 years ago

    Scott...what exactly is the issue with M26?

    Hiker might be interested in doing business with one place to avoid additive shipping charges that can end up being more than a significant percentage of total cost.
    For example if hiker was to purchase just the Winblo peach you mentioned from fruittreefarm as you mentioned he'd have to pay just $8.50 for the tree, but then $25.00 for shipping. Not to mention they generally all show up at the same time when ordering from just one source.
    Given his situation and what he's trying to accomplish he should be able to order from one source...I know I would at least try to.

  • alan haigh
    9 years ago

    I actually don't think you need 2 Euros and 2 Asain pears to get fruit. Up here I've planted an Asian and a Seckel at many a site- Seckel flowers early for a Euro and there's overlap between it and earlier flowering Asians- I believe they are pollen compatible if pollen is available at the right time. Now I'm hearing that the Asian pears are self fruitful anyway, and certainly Seckel often is as well. At sites with this combination I've never had an issue with fruitfulness.

    I strongly recommend if you get 2 Euro pears to include Harrow Sweet, It produces very young and is a wonderful, disease resistant pear that ripens late for a pear and holds well in refrigeration. I would try to grow it even if it was more difficult. To me it is the Goldrush of pears for the home grower- in a class of its own. Korean Giant, AKA Olympic is my favorite Asian- but then, I'm not crazy about Asian pears in general and they are stinkbug magnets which is an ever increasing problem here and where you are.

    An apple I'd recommend is Zestar as an early one for Sept and Oct eating while you wait for Goldrush to ripen. I'm harvesting my Goldrush in a couple days to beat the polar vortex. Not all in the tree are quite as ripe as I'd like them.

    Both of these apples fruit young and can be grown on relatively vigorous rootstocks and still be kept in a small space.

    For peaches, Scotts already provided you with a couple of good suggestions, although I don't know what diseases they are supposed to be particularly resistant to- I hope its brown rot. Almost all the mainstream eastern varieties are resistant to bacterial spot- a key thing to look for.

    For peaches, the home grower with room for just a couple or few trees should consider the time and length of bearing, so your crop is staggered and arrives when you will be around to pick it, yellow or white (I prefer the rich taste of yellows but this is entirely subjective). You also need to decide if you like the taste of sub-acid fruit, which I hate but many like.

    For J. plums, I would start with Satsuma and Ruby Queen.

    I would see what Adams County Nursery still has available if you are trying to order from a single site.

    If you can't get everything you want this season in the ground because certain things are sold out, you can either order the next best thing and consider taking up grafting later or just wait one more year to fill out your orchard. The main thing is to get started.

  • appleseed70
    9 years ago

    For peaches, Scotts already provided you with a couple of good suggestions, although I don't know what diseases they are supposed to be particularly resistant to- I hope its brown rot. Almost all the mainstream eastern varieties are resistant to bacterial spot- a key thing to look for.

    Thumbs up on the bacterial spot resistance.

    I would see what Adams County Nursery still has available if you are trying to order from a single site.

    Ditto.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    Grandpa's Nursery is decent too (top 5 rating), and they have yet to list available cultivars for 2015, Often they have trees in stock longer. Although the selection is more for my area. But they probably have some of the cultivars mentioned.
    So between all these nurseries, you should get all you need.

  • ampersand12
    9 years ago

    PennState has a nice guide online that might be helpful. I'm guessing MD and PA are similar enough it'll be useful to you...

    Here is a link that might be useful: Fruit Production fo the Home Gardener

  • alan haigh
    9 years ago

    Ignore the PA guide in my opinion. You will get such better advice right here as the guide is not written by people who likely have any experience actually growing fruit in their back yards.

    I took a quick look and it doesn't seem written with the confidence and clarity that can only be derived from actual experience.

  • bchiker
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    With all of the input I've recieved. I think I've been able to pick an early, mid and late apple. It's been advised to me a few times to get Geeneva rootstock #11 or Bud 9 for dwarfs. Anyone know who has a good selection ready for spring planting?

  • RedSun (Zone 6, NJ)
    9 years ago

    It is amazing to receive 30 comments on something that is pretty simple. So much info can be obtained from the internet. There are also so many good local resources.

    For me, I have a couple of nurseries I like. I just picked a few well tested and good taste varieties from the catalog. I still leave a couple spots for the ones I did not get this fall. I do not want to wait too long and miss the fall planting season.

  • bchiker
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    RedSun,
    You have to understand that planting and orchard is WAY outside of my area of expertise. Just last month I didn't know the difference between a stone fruit and a pome. Then to find out that an apple tree is always grafted with different rootstocks, not to mention the variety of trees. Add on top of that, that I read some trees don't produce for up to 6 years. Then this is a 12-15 year obligation. This may be a simple selection for someone with some expertise in the area. But that's not me. So please excuse me for asking questions and being a little uncertain. But, 12-15 years from now, I'll be at an age where doing this again might not be reasonable. So, I'd like to start this project out with the best possible trees (the most important part of this project). I will be amazingly successful at this but I will continue to ask questions and gain knowledge and hopefully one day be able to pass some knowledge onto the next rookie that comes along.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    Bchiker,

    Well you made a smart move. Here we have experience, and I find even university info lacking or way outdated. Plus I have seen where two of us read the same article and come away with different opinions. It was an extremely smart move to post here.

    In general here is some more advice. First plant known cultivars that will work in your area. This will give you good yields or the best chance of good yields. Determining what is good for your area may be a challenge, as you have found out! Anyway after that you can try cultivars that should work in your area, but have not really been tested in your area, after you have some experience under your belt. Then you can move to experimentals to test your new found skill and see what is possible and to learn from success and failure. If you start with experimentals or what should work you can become frustrated at failure. So following this model with give you good results and yields, yet keep your interest. Good luck! Keep us updated on progress.

  • RedSun (Zone 6, NJ)
    9 years ago

    GW is a good place to get advise. There are quite a few very knowledge folks here willing to help. But you'll need to do your own homework. Folks here will tell you what they know, and the experience they gained from doing. But they are not in your area, they do not have your taste buds and they are not in your brain.

    The best way again, is go get some books to read, to get ideas as to what stone fruits, or freestone are. Then read the growing guides from your local agriculture extension, like Maryland, Virginia, and Pen State. The best step is to visit a well established U-pick yard to see what they grow, how they grow and talk to the folks there.

    If you still have questions, then you can ask here.

    There are many many different ways to decide on how to lay out the fruit trees, choose the varieties, space them, prune and train them. This is like building a house. You need to ask yourself what you want. You have to decide, and do not let others decide for you.

    My last words, some of the info, from all all the above sources, may not be correct for your situation. You need to absorb all the info and make a decision, for 5 years, or 25 years.... You will get bumps down the road. You may not like some of the fruits, some trees may get diseases and may die. Some may not fruit in certain years, etc, etc..... There is no perfect world that you can get all the free perfect taste fruits forever....

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    Yeah I like when you add your state to your name, not just the zone. tells us more.

    This post was edited by Drew51 on Thu, Nov 13, 14 at 11:21

  • appleseed70
    9 years ago

    hiker is from Maryland Drew...lokks like he/she has added it a number of times and the site has taken it away for some reason. Others have complained of similar things like their zone being changed etc.

  • alan haigh
    9 years ago

    I disagree with parts of your statement, Redsun. Growers here shouldn't be asked AFTER going to the sources you mention because none of those sources knows squat about home orcharding, although they would likely have lots of useful information in the mix that would also include a lot of misguided advice.

    Been there done that. Local commercial growers know how to grow pristine fruit on large orchards and that is the same realm of expertise available from your cooperative extension, if you're lucky.

    That neither can give good advice on best pesticides to use for the home grower is just one example where they will likely fall short. Commercial growers also tend to be extremely conservative on the range of varieties they grow.

    I started growing fruit in the northeast 25 years ago and initially only had those sources for information- the varieties they suggested and the methods of managing them didn't really fit with the needs of a home grower.

    It took me years and years to sort it out, and I wish I had a resource like this forum when I started. I still get more useful information from this forum than I do from publications like Good Fruit Grower and dispatches from Cornell.

    There are also no books that actually do a great job of covering the territory in themselves. NAFEX has a free library that I made liberal use of in my first years of orcharding here. I found a lot of useful info this way- especially from the older books, but nothing that trumps what can be acquired from this forum.

    My point is, use them all, not them first and this forum second.

    I do agree with you that taste is subjective and a home grower shouldn't be inordinately persuaded by the suggestions of other folks on the subject of what delicious is. That is where tasting locally grown fruit, fresh off the tree can be very useful- if there is a local grower experimental enough to grow more than the 5 most common apples.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    One resource I really enjoy is radio garden shows. Many are fluff, but some local shows are top rate. I don't get much advice about orchards though. More about vegetables, what works in your area. I also like to cook, and often when I have a hard time finding an ingredient, it is possible to grow it. One example is Cuban oregano, I decided to grow it for my Tex-Mex dishes.
    This forum is probably the best overall source. I find info all over though. Like I really enjoyed Lee Reich's book on pruning. As everything needs pruning, not just trees, and he breaks it down, and does a great job. Some of his other books look cool too, like
    "Landscaping with Fruit" , "Uncommon Fruits For Every Garden" He is a home grower and has everything in his yard, fruit trees, brambles, you name it. If it bears fruit, he grows it, knows how to care for it, how to feed, and prune it.
    His place in in NY state. Check out his videos
    http://www.leereich.com/video.

    So again this forum can lead you to places to find yet more good info.

  • alan haigh
    9 years ago

    Lee Reich is an acquaintance of mine and has been to one of the orchards I manage with me to take photos for a book he was finishing up. That he couldn't find adequate photos from his own orchard might be telling- he says it's too cold for many of the varieties that are grown in our area.

    My problem with Lee as a fruit guru is his lack of interaction with home growers beyond offering them advice. The only people he appears to rely on for information have graduate degrees in agriculture related to commercial fruit growing and most of his information about common fruits seems to be derived from these sources.

    I remember his being surprised that I thin plums, which is something he'd never heard of, but common in the world of home orcharding. It used to be common for commercial growers also, before most of the plums grown around here were used for processing into juice or drying.

    Writing and peddling books is a full time job. He's very good at what he does.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    He has helped me a lot from one book. I like his work a lot. I will certainly buy more in the future. I'm sold for sure on his work. I love his currant cordon, so awesome I started two of them. And the only person with advice on pruning them.
    Most plant books I buy are on cooking and identification.
    Like cooking wild fruits etc.

  • Scott F Smith
    9 years ago

    Sounds good on the apples and peaches!

    For the fig I would get something besides Brown Turkey as you can get about anything under that name. Celeste tends to more likely be true to name and is widely available. For the pomegranate I would get Salavatski (or the similar or identical "Russian 8" / "Russian Hardy") - Parfianka I have heard no concrete success stories in Maryland for and may not be hardy enough. I have one planted as an experiment but am not optimistic. Salavatski on the other hand has fruited successfully for myself and others. Pomegranates are still not well understood in our region. Last winter most of mine died back including supposedly hardy ones; Salavatski was one of the few that did not have any dieback.

    Scott

  • JGlass
    9 years ago

    So, it would be good to put other fruiting plants between apple trees?

  • bchiker
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    This is what this forum is about and why I joined. Thank you Scott and others. I most likely would have spent years growing a pomegranate and other trees with no hope of ever getting fruit. You guys and the information put out here has been VERY valuable to me and I'm sure to others, Thank you again.
    JGlass I'm not planning on mixing my row by alternating varieties. I'm planning to plant all the apples, then all the peaches together in a single row, in order of harvest time with the latest at the end of the row. My row has to run east to west. Here's my projected layout: east > 1234 apple 1234 peach > west.

  • JGlass
    9 years ago

    'Posted by skyjs z8 OR, USA (My Page) on Fri, Nov 7, 14 at 0:17

    Plant non-related plants in between to fight disease, like green leafy vegies or blueberries'

    I ment to reference. It was more a question. Since I am doing something similar like you and was following this topic for advice.

  • kokopelli5a
    9 years ago

    Listen to Scott and harvestman. You want success. Go for the tried and true on tried and true rootstock. Very important, that. You can get adventuresome after you get a reliable crop.

    In my area, nectarines are bug magnets. Bet it's worse in Maryland.

  • bdfrase
    9 years ago

    bchiker,

    Could you let us know some of the details you got from the Extension office? I'm getting ready to start my small orchard. I was planning semi-dwarf trees, but I was just told by a local nursery that semi-dwarf apple trees do not do well here. That has gone against everything I've read and heard, but I'm new to Calvert County, so what do I know.

    Did the Extension office give you anything regarding dwarfed trees in Southern Maryland?

  • bchiker
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    bdfrase,
    I made an appointment with the Extension office in St, Mary's County and spoke with Ben. Ben knew a lot about small fruits like berries. But while I was in his office, we made a conference call to the Anne Arundel extension office and spoke with David Myers. Ben told me that David was the fruit tree expert in Maryland. David wrote a Spray Schedule and also a Home Tree Production guide. Both are available for download at the Anne Arundel Extension site. In his guide, he makes a suggestion for fruits that do well in our area. He spoke very highly of Geneva root stock. And spoke about the problems here with Fire Blight and recommended resistant trees. They also spoke very highly of Adams County Nursery as a supplier. I was not able to get all my trees from them, but found their site very interesting. The truth of the matter is I've gotten more to the point and pertinent information from this forum thanks to Scott and Harvestman and others. I'm in the same position as you, living in Southern Maryland and putting in a small home orchard. Please feel free to email me if I can be of any further assistance. I'm pasting the link to Anne Arundel County Extension. Look under bulletins.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Anne Arundel Co Extension Center

  • appleseed70
    9 years ago

    bdfrase...Disregard that nurseries suggestion that semi-dwarf fruit trees "don't do well here". I think they might have been meaning to say something different. If anything, I'd suspect that semi-dwarfs would be preferable to dwarfs in southern MD, particularily for the home orchard where there is adequate space, but really any blanket statements like that are without merit imo. There is just so much more to it than that.

  • bdfrase
    9 years ago

    bchiker, thank you! We were planning to use Orange Pippin for our trees, mainly because of the root stock varieties. I, too, had decided on G rootstock. Adams County has some of the other trees we want that OP doesn't carry, though.

    Appleseed, thank you for confirming that I'm not insane. My first impression was that the statement was BS. My second was that I might not have all the information. We were planning SD trees, for the majority of our fruit trees. My impression of most dwarf varieties is that they need more "unnatural" intervention. Read: higher maintenance. The only true dwarf we plan are the cherry trees.

  • appleseed70
    9 years ago

    My impression of most dwarf varieties is that they need more "unnatural" intervention. Read: higher maintenance

    Precisely my thinking. Also less robust and to me (just my feeling) they are more like tomato plants than actual trees. Shorter lifespan, less hardy and more "quarky" for lack of a better word.
    Hell if I had the room and the time I'd probably opt for standard stock.
    There is a place for dwarfs and they have their benefits. For me though, the cons outweigh the pros.

  • patapscomike
    9 years ago

    You might not ever know what a smart thing you did by asking here before planting anything. It's a genius move. I wish like heck I'd done that.

    Listen to Scott Smith, he's in your state and growing all this stuff for years while taking notes. In my opinion he's a better resource than the (awesome) extension agents because the agents are more for commercial growers than home gardeners. Scott doesn't know it, but he's my beta tester and if you are smart he'll be yours too. Do what he says and it will pay off!

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