Orchard Expansion!

About this time last year, I took some time to evaluate my progress at Pocket Square Farm. By the end of the summer season, it was clear to me which produce I had too much of (zucchini and cucumbers), and not enough of (fresh fruit, onions, potatoes, and garlic). Last year, we reached our sustainability goals with regards to veggies: we rarely had to purchase vegetables at the market during the winter, and never in the summer.

Fruit, however, was a different story.

My weekly grocery list always included fruit. Despite that we had already planted a lemon tree, a lime tree, boysenberries, blackberries, and four blueberry bushes, none of them had started really producing dependably. And my kids eat a lot of fruit... as they should.

My husband planted two apple and two orange trees for me for Mother's Day last year. It was the perfect gift for me, but I knew that, as far as feeding a hungry family went, it just wouldn't be enough fruit.

When we chopped down and hauled away a monstrous bougainvillea bush in our backyard this past spring, I finally saw my chance. The wall it had overtaken was a perfectly sunny yet sheltered space for a pocket-sized orchard expansion.

I sent my husband off to my favorite local nursery, where he brought home not one apple tree, but four semi-dwarf plants.

Each is a different variety, so that [hopefully] we will have different apples ripening throughout the year. The four species he purchased were Pink Lady, Dorsett, Fuji, and Gala. After creating a slightly raised bed with left-over wood from our fence addition, my husband moved the sprinkler heads forward so that the apple trees would not get wet when the sprinklers went off. (I've read that apple trees prefer to live sprinkler-free and without grass directly touching their trunks.) Before planting, we amended the soil with lots of steer manure, since the soil we were planting in was not all that great to begin with.

After the trees were planted, I pruned them according to the principles of horizontal espalier. The art form of espalier requires sacrifice and patience. I had to begin by lopping off several beautiful branches and shoots that were not positioned correctly. Based on what I've read, I can expect to wait approximately three years for the framework to be complete and the trees to really begin fruiting heavily. If you are looking to add some fruit trees to your yard, but you don't want to take up a lot of space, you can read about the art of espalier here.

Three years is a long time for my orchard expansion to come to fruition, and I hope the bounty will be worth the wait. At least we can expect a few ripe apples from Pocket Square Farm to taste-test this fall!