Fruit Orchard Done

[jrpoland]

Well, I finally got everything wrapped up with our new fruit orchard. Time has not been on my side, but I hope we got it all done on time. We're still mostly in the high 20s and low 30s at night and in the 50s in the day. I wanted to get it done in February, but the weather was so wet that the nursery could not get equipment in to get the trees.

At any rate, the trees are in. Here is what I put in (mostly in quantities of 6, but some were only 3 trees. I put in about 10 of each nut variety).

Apple: Gala
Apple: Red Fuji
Peach: Hale Haven
Peach: Red Haven
Pears: Moonglow
Pears: Keeper Pear
Plums: Bruce
Plums: Cherry Plum
Figs: Brown Turkey
Pomegranate: Sweet Pomegranate
Japanese Persimmon
Blueberries: Tift Blue
Blueberries: Oneal
Blueberries: Climax
Blueberries: Powder Blue
Black Walnut
Pecan: Desirable
Chinese Chesnutt


Hopefully we'll enjoy some fruit in a few years and some pecans & chesnutts in a decade. Hopefully my kids will thank me for my foresight for the black walnuts.

[salmonslayer]

How many acres did you use jrpoland? Sounds like a ton of work and I would be interested if you could share how you planted them, the dispersion (i.e., distance between) and the dispersion of what variety went where.

Also, were these bare root and what type of amendments did you use? We are looking at doing this next year at our farm in Missouri.

[Gercarson]

I would think you'd want a few hazelnuts - they'll do well in your area.

[jrpoland]

It didn't really take up much space for the fruit trees. For the nut trees, I used them along the perimeter--sort of as a transition between the woods and the yard.

The nursery where I bought the trees (bare root, by the way) gave me a lot of help in terms of spacing. Since most of the trees are semi-dwarf, I used a 15' x 18' matrix. I used 8' x 8' spacing for the blueberries. For the nut trees, I used 35'. Again, the nut trees were planted all around the perimeter, so I didn't have to utilize a grid. Although I didn't have to, the way I laid it out was by rows: I'd have a row of 6 peach trees and I'd alternate the variety like: variety 1, variety 2, variety 1...you get the drift. On row 2 of peaches, I started with variety 2, then variety 1, etc. I probably over-thunk it there

Basically a landscaper friend of mine (and one of his workers) used his skidsteer with the auger attachment. He wallowed the auger as he dug the hole so that it was about 15-18 inches in diameter and 2 feet (or so) deep. We first laid out the grid with string and then sprayed orange marking paint to "mark the spot." Then my friend dug the holes and me and the other guy planted them. The nursery recommend light fertilization with a low-nitrogen fertilizer so that is what we did. Beyond that, we added nothing else. The soil is pretty good here.

We are going to plant raspberries and blueberries, but our nursery recommended waiting another few weeks. It may have to wait until even later than that--I'm worn out!!

Jim

[Backfourty,MI.]

What are you planning on doing with all that fruit once they all start bearing fruit? Selling it I'm guessing or having a you pick type buisness?

We put in a small orchard, only 15 tree's total. Some were planted 5 years ago & some 4 years ago. Started finally getting peaches the last 2 years & so nice to pick your own fruit. Deer killed some tree's the first couple years until I found a spray that works to keep them away from the tree's. Also have a large raspberry row on one side of my garden & strawberries in raised beds. We get plenty for us & still some to share with family & neighbors.

[Charly]

Backfourty, May I ask what the spray was to keep the deer at bay? How do you use it? Expensive? Also, did you put any kind of fencing around the trees?
I'm planting several fruit trees at our new home in the country in a few weeks and I know we have a ton of deer out there. Suggestions? Thanks.

[Queen Bee]

[QUOTE=Backfourty,MI.;4316590]What are you planning on doing with all that fruit once they all start bearing fruit? Selling it I'm guessing or having a you pick type buisness?


I was thinking the same thing! I hope you either have a plan for selling.. I planted a total of 4-peach
10-apples
8-blueberries
15 grapevines
3 plum
2 cherry
2 fig
3 pear
2 pomergarate
2 Asian persimmon
3 pecan
and a little short row of each: blackberries, raspberries and dewberries.

Well, most have been planted 10 years and I had so much fruit last year, I was begging people to take it.. It's tons of work-- pruning, picking and putting it up but I do love having my own fruit...

Good luck with your orchard... when it's in bloom--come back with pictures, please..

[Jenn]

Originally Posted by Gercarson

I would think you'd want a few hazelnuts - they'll do well in your area.

OK Gercarson! Do YOU grow hazelnuts in N FL? What kind? I have a few Italian types growing but no nuts yet at 3 years old and only 1-2' high. Help a neighbor please!

[Michael Kawalek]

Congratulations Jr!
I started getting my trees in the ground in 2005, and the first of my chestnuts and peaches are starting to bear. So, I don't think you'll have to wait a whole decade. Looks like you planted a lot of the same varieties that I did.
Good luck,
Michael

[motdaugrnds]

Backfourty,MI .... You said you found a spray that works to keep deer off your peach trees.

I, too, would like to know what spray you used and how you used it. I have been trying for several years to grow fruit trees only to discover deer killing them. (This year we placed 4' fencing squared around them so close to trees deer won't jump in; so hoping this works.)