I'm planting another orchard of heritage apple trees today. Well, digging the holes at least. There are over 200 trees to go in and it'll take more than one day's graft but I have friends to help so we should get it done this week. It looks like cold, cold weather is due this weekend coming, so we'll not waste time dithering.
3 comments:
An orchard a week it seems! Hey Robert, what are the chances of finding an apple tree a couple of years old for an urban garden? I am working with secondary students developing an urban section into a food-foresty style ecology, and they'd like it to look 'impressive' this summer. Ideas? Room for 2. Urban farm plans progressing, just short of free soil tests!
Hi Nick - your 'urban section' project sounds a lot like the one I'm doing with Aparima College students to a similar end - food-foresty-ness. We've established hazels and cardoons, black currants and tree lupins, all of which continue to 'look good' despite the season, then amongst those we've sown oats and various lupins and lots and lots of alexanders, high mallow and fennel, all of which should erupt soon and fill the space with edible goodness. Beside us is the primary school garden where they are taking the conventional route, wooden framed raised beds, potatoes grown under plastic sheets, weed-free bare soils over winter and worse. It's going to be a striking comparison and I will post on it when the season moves foward a bit.
For your garden now, I'd be sowing cardoons indoors - they make a big impact and look good to the adolescent eye. Have you put Jerusalem artichokes in yet? Another winner.
We have sold out all 500 of the apple trees we grafted from out Southland orchards - it's been a hugely successful season for getting the orchards back in place. Can your students graft? Now is the season for it (soon). Perhaps they could find some scion wood somewhere?
Good on you for the work you are doing.
Soon the world will be ours :-)
Ooh sounds fantastical. We have a plethora of useful & edible herbs on the raise, lengths of black and red currant, and plenty of garlic legumes & veg, though yet to develop alternative crops you speak of. Speaking to Adam I think I need to visit your wondrous forest again, soon!
Post a Comment