Progress is underway for my future ~9k sq ft orchard in zone 6b. Previously I’ve just had a few trees in my (former) city back yard and figs in pots, so this is quite a step up for us.
The site is a south-facing slope with pretty good sunlight. I have a few large trees that I’ll take down still that I’m hoping to process into lumber, but otherwise it’s mostly cleared and leveled. The plan is to fence it in with an 8ft tall deer fence this spring.
My goal is to grow the widest variety of fruit possible, which leads me to my question: What should I do about row spacing? To start, on this site I want to grow:
Apples on dwarfing rootstock
Asian/Euro pears on semi-dwarf rootstock
Persimmons
Blueberries
Raspberries
Jujube
Maybe grapes
Maybe mulberries
I’m thinking of grouping rows into small/medium/large buckets and then having multiple types of trees share a row. For example, pears and persimmons might share a row, apples and blueberries, etc. It would be nice to be able to fit my tractor down the paths of each row.
What spacing has worked for people? Are there any resources people recommend to try to figure out what the best spacing would be for different trees? I’d like to strike balance between fitting what I can in the space but also reducing maintenance wherever possible.
Thanks in advance. Lurking this forum has been a great resource the past few years and I’m glad to contribute some content.
I would leave space to run a tractor with a single subsoiler between your orchard and the wood line every year. Forest tree roots run a long ways past the dripline and will quickly grow over into your orchard. Cutting them back every year before they get any size to them will be time well spent.
Which part of the country are you in? Midwest 6b has very different growing conditions than eastern Washington state 6b for example.
From your picture you look like you’re in a more similar climate to us, we are in SW Ohio just recently changed from 6a → 6b.
I’ll echo the advice on tree roots…we had a raised bed garden about 25 feet from some trees and dealt with massive root infiltration into the beds every year, so some efficient way to cut them back (or just remove more trees) will help.
We are doing the bulk of our planting for our orchard this year too so I’m not the right person to give advice on varieties. But I’m excited to follow along and compare notes!
Thanks to both of you. I was thinking of tree removal mostly in terms of reducing shade. I hadn’t considered that the roots will invade, especially since I intend to run some irrigation lines!
@thegardenfamily we are in Appalachia, 6b, so definitely a similar climate to you.
Raspberries, blueberries and strawberries we have grown in the past and are relatively easy to grow (as long as you get the pH right on the blueberries).
We grew a Nikita’s Gift persimmon at our last property and it was very precocious and disease free. We are planting another this year.
We have had success with apples as long as you have a decent spray schedule and prune properly.
I’ve heard the stone fruits are more difficult but we are trying quite a few this year to see how they do.
We are doing about 10’ on center spacing for mostly dwarf and semi-dwarf varieties. But the orchard is right next to our house and will be pruned / maintained very easily, otherwise I think slightly increased spacing would make more sense.
Wishing you the best of luck, looks like a great spot!
