Allotments 4 All

Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Tenuse on December 12, 2003, 16:29:08

Title: Growing a Fruit Orchard
Post by: Tenuse on December 12, 2003, 16:29:08

Dear all,

Imminently my fruit trees and bushes will be arriving (and only a quarter of their ground dug, eek!). I have planned the tree layout as follows:

              Plum                                Apple
     (marjorie's sdlg)          (unknown!)

              Plum                                    Apple
     (victoria)                      (Laxton's Sprb)

             Cherry                          Apple
        (morello)                    (james grieves)

        Cherry                            Apple
          (stella)                         (discovery)

I hope I will end up with a nice little orchard.

My question is, what should I do in between the trees? Should I buy some grass seed and grass it over, or should I put down carpets, or compost, or what??

All suggestions welcome...


Ten x

Title: Re: Growing a Fruit Orchard
Post by: budgiebreeder on December 12, 2003, 17:24:11

I have grass in mine .You have to beaar in mind that it will be shady and it is wisse to leave a circle of soil round the actual trunk.

Title: Re: Growing a Fruit Orchard
Post by: campanula on December 12, 2003, 19:23:19

i think you should have grass in an orchard too - you need to have something to lie on while you gaze up at your lush fruit crops

Title: Re: Growing a Fruit Orchard
Post by: Tenuse on December 12, 2003, 20:07:54

will a ring of clear soil be enough to stop the grass competing with the trees for nutrients?

And how will I tell real grass and couch grass apart, we have a lot of couch!!

Ten x

Title: Re: Growing a Fruit Orchard
Post by: gavin on December 12, 2003, 20:19:35

Hi Tenuse

Absolutely no suggestions - just very best wishes (and a greenish envious tinge!)

All best - Gavin

Title: Re: Growing a Fruit Orchard
Post by: Tenuse on December 12, 2003, 20:32:41

Don't be envious yet gavin, I have no idea if they will grow well or not yet!

The apple trees are all planted already, they need a bit of pruning but they were an absolute bargain in September at £5 per tree (and they're already five/six feet high).

The plums and cherries are coming bare rooted and I feel they will be little more than twigs!!! so I don't think I'll be getting much off them for a few years!

Also I'm not sure how well the sweet cherry will do in Sheffield... but I'm going to have a go anyway :-)

Just got a lot of digging to do first...

Ten x

Title: Re: Growing a Fruit Orchard
Post by: Palustris on December 12, 2003, 20:40:10

It will take a while for the roots of your fruit trees to extend beyond the branch spread so I would suggest a circle of about a metre in diameter should be ok.
It is almost impossible to stop couch growing in any grass, so dig out as much as you can ,then ordinary mowing will keep it down (a bit).
Great fun though, growing fruit. I have just had two Cox type apples after dinner, from our trees. And if Cherries can fruit here then Sheffiekd is a doddle for them.

Title: Re: Growing a Fruit Orchard
Post by: budgiebreeder on December 12, 2003, 20:40:41

I'm your neighbour in Huddersfield and I have aStella  and a Morella both do pretty well until the squirrels find them, well its a race between squirrels and children.I can't really say anything as we raided enough Orchards as children.

Title: Re: Growing a Fruit Orchard
Post by: Tenuse on December 12, 2003, 21:32:14

Marvellous!

I am trying to plan anti-squirrel and bird devices, I can't afford a fruit cage. So I guess it will have to be some form of netting. Or camp out there when they're about to ripen and get there first!!

Ten x