Orchard planning 2: the expert - The Accidental Smallholder

Posted: Tuesday 5 July, 2011

by Rosemary at 2:02pm in Orchard Comments closed

Dan and I met with local orchard expert, Andrew Lear, today www.appletreeman.co.uk to discuss our plans for an orchard. We've already done a fair bit of research and have drafted a business plan. What we needed from Andrew was confirmation than an orchard would grow here, and advice on practical issues like choice of varieties, planting plan and so on.

Andrew, thankfully, is confident that fruit trees will do well here, although we have to choose the correct varieties. The main orchard will be apple trees, but he did suggest that we put in some plum at the edge of the vegetable garden, under which the table chickens can roam. Andrew's eyes also lit up when he saw the back wall of the West range, red sandstone, sheltered, facing west - and he has suggested that we train pear trees on that wall. It was dead space anyway, so that seems a sound idea to us.

We will get our formal report soon, but we're hoping to get the fencing done and the first trees in this autumn. Exciting stuff!