This is an interesting article about the history and benefits of growing fruit against walls. The footnotes link to other interesting articles as well. Good reading.
10 Likes
Very interesting read! Seems like folks have been going to extremes to get their fruit for a long time. This helps to justify my much more modest efforts at backyard production.
2 Likes
I did enjoy it and feel blessed that my house’s S and E walls are constructed of crappy cement block covered with stucco and painted white. To adequately insulate my house would require giving up significant floor space and making my walls as thick as a castle’s. However, cement block holds a lot more heat for overnight protection for plants against the outside wall than standard stick-built construction would.
I had my first apricot yesterday from an Early Blush tree against the south wall. I tried growing that variety for years out in the open and never got any fruit. I put this tree against the wall last fall. It was bearing age, but they usually take a season to recover from transplanting before harvests begin- however, the wall reduced stress.
5 Likes
Very interesting article, thanks for posting it
1 Like
I am wondering if anyone here in this forum are currently using greenhouse system or is studying greenhouse system in producing crops in northern area such as zone 5 or lower in a large scale
1 Like
That report makes me hopeful. I planted a montrose apricot against my homes S facing wall this spring. Some folks say it will make it bloom earlier and the frost will then wipe them out. Apricots are a gamble here anyways, so I am trying it.
2 Likes
It does make it bloom earlier, but here, the advantage compensates for that and then some. I get at least some crop every year, and folks in much more protected sites (close to big water) than my land don’t.
1 Like
Just found this article on my own and figured I would bump this post so others could see.
Those photos/drawings are crazy, can’t believe people actually did that.
1 Like