Orchard Evolution

I was particularly struck by this photo when I went back through my media.  This shot must have been taken very early in the life of the orchard.  Katie is enjoying her romp through a largely empty lot.  In fact, there are no fruit trees visible at all.  The only fruit trees at this time were to the left of the photo down close to the creek.  I had brought about six trees with me when Paul and I moved from the house on Massie Street.  I had a few apple trees and several european and asian pears.  I quickly learned that the area near the creek was regularly traveled by deer.  One of my very first trees was rubbed so badly that it died.  I had to move those early trees and set about placing them in the area that is now the orchard.

I wanted to create a woodland setting with randomly placed trees.  After the first section was planted, It became apparent that the random nature of the trees look really haphazard and confusing in the midst of a mowed lawn.  Undeterred, I set about relocating the trees in a more organized fashion.  To make the job of digging up trees easier, I only moved those in that first row that were significantly out of alignment (second big mistake).  This simplified moving the trees, but the misalignment that resulted persists today.  I started with one row, then added a second row pretty quickly.  In two years, I had planted my original trees and acquired about ten more.  Some were from big box stores like Lowes and others from on-line.

I began to purchase trees from David at Century Farms orchard in Reidsville, North Carolina.  Paul and I even made the trip to pick up trees one year.  David is really friendly and helpful guy.  He has a website with lots of helpful information that made selecting the trees easier.  His choices for rootstock are somewhat limited, and he only sells trees on MM111 (semi-dwarf approx 80% of full sized tree) and Bud-9 (dwarf trees under ten feet).  The majority of my trees have been on MM111.  This is a sturdy rootstock but can be very slow to bear.  I actually have several trees over 8 years old (and well over 12 feet with pruning) that have not borne a single apple.  Now that I am getting along in years, I’ve decided that buying a fruit tree that won’t bear for another 8 years plus may not be a good choice.

The orchard has grown to 45 trees including peaches, pears, apples, nectarines, and plums.  The trees I did keep have been planted with a mixed arrangment of different fruits.  I was influenced in this decision by the triole concept promoted by the Miracle Farms permaculture design.  As more trees have been added, they have been placed in available spaces.  This added a fourth row, and placed as many as 12 trees per row.  At 45 trees, I have decided to hold firm at this number.  Thankfully, grafting has allowed me to introduce new varieties without adding new trees,

In December of 2022, we lost our dear chocolate lab Katie.  She had been with us for 12 years, and always an active part of the family.  She traveled with Paul pretty much everywhere he went, and she was out with me in the orchard regardless if it was freezing cold or unbearably hot.  When I look through my photos of the orchard, Katie is in almost every single one.  She was my grafting companion, and we tasted apples together in the summer as we sat facing the creek.  My time with her was very special.

It is still unbelievably difficult to be without her.  As a tribute to Katie, I have added a special place in the yard to the spot where she was buried.  We placed her so she could always have a few of the creek that she enjoyed so much  I have added a stone landing and wildflowers in her memory, with several chairs to sit and enjoy the view.

Fly high dear girl!  We love you so much.

Beau and Wilson are still with us, and continue to add so much joy to our lives