And what do you wish you’d done differently?
Very interested in how people with backyard orchards with many different varieties have arranged their trees. Do you keep like species together, or separate to buffer disease? How do you group within the same species - bloom time, use, or plant them just as you acquire them? How’s your system worked for you? And how many trees do you have?
I have my trees spaced 15 X 15 apart in rows. I planted like fruits together to help with pollination. I haven’t had the orchard for that many years so time will tell if I have done this correctly. I also put grapes in back behind the rows. I placed the grapes in rows 8 ft apart with 8ft spacing. I am pleased with the aesthetics of it so far and if everything grows well then it will be very pleasing to me!
A couple rows for the public to see, then most additional things almost as random as if they’d fallen like hailstones from a cloud. I’m not figuring on any you-pick anyhow. A jumble is less likely to be destroyed by either 2 or 4 legged critters…although shading may mean fewer fruits, there will be more diversity. The ‘food forest’ concept.
I have always loved the food forest concept but not sure how to go about it myself. I also have my orchard set up for ease of mowing.
Yah. Ease of mowing.
I try to do the checker board, so I can mow both directions , at least when young.
17 apple, 5 pear, 4 peach, 3 pluot, plus 6 potted apples.
I try to keep them somewhat together as a species, except apples, they are in two distinct locations. Stuff like pears, peaches and pluots are together, and of course berry species are together (strawbs, rasps, goose, blues); most of the blackberries are on one row.
Spacing for apples is 12ft for dwarfs, 15ft for everything else. Peaches and pluots about 18ft, and pears about 15-20ft. For raspberries, I gave them about 3ft, blacks about 6ft, blues 8ft.
I also generally tried to plant my trees and berries in rows north to south to help them get the best sun exposure. Trees are separated far enough apart that I can get my riding mower in between them. In some cases, I can manuever my tractor in between them.
In some areas, I think the apples are too far apart, I expected them to fill in their spaces, but they haven’t. Think that has to do more with soil quality and tree shaping.
To my regret, I did a lot more research about how far each species and in a related way, rootstocks should be separated, but not enough research about the soil or nutrient requirements. I wish I’d spent more time to get my plots prepared before some of the trees were planted.
It sounds like a good idea to separate species to limit insect and disease concentrations, though. But, I put most of my species together to help with pollination.
We have 2 acres that are maintained by mowers, weedeaters, etc. But not all can be used for fruit, because some is taken up by garden plots and buildings (2 houses, big barn, corn crib, toolshed, chicken coop, pond, decrepit old cabin, even an outhouse (not used in 20 years!)). And most of the front yard is off limits, because of septic system and drain field.
I planted my orchard with the controlled chaos method. I started planting like plants together, but that has been cast aside as I acquired more trees. I don’t have any specific spacing either, it’s kind of a dig here because I want it here.
My congratulations go out to anyone who actually has a plan, but that is not my style.
I have layed out plantings with a tape measure.
But now I find it easyer to do with the mower,( tractor)
Mow the area the way its easzyest
So many passes ,let be a strip of tall grass, to visualize a row.
Maybe mow it a different way next time, until you find a way it works ( looks) best
My ground is not flat ,or square, so I have to mow it the easzyest way I can fit things in there.
So I use strips of tall grass, for a vision.
Try to stay 1 yr ahead ,with the vision.
I also have some less organized plantings…
Mine is based on a few factors: How much I can prune X tree/bush to keep it from shading Y tree/bush, which plants will only survive morning sun, and I wanted multiple pathways. Texas summer sun is brutal and that shade is a game changer for a few things. There’s no spacing guidelines here. This is the cramped elevator ride of fruit growing.
I wish I wouldn’t have planted any type of cherry tree. They’re thriving in half day sun, but I’m sure a borer or disease will eventually end them here. Same with my Methley plum. Delicious, but I just saw some kind of issue on one limb during a walk earlier today. Gummosis or something. Other than that, life is good in my backyard. Muscadines are grouped together for pollination purposes. Pomegranates are close enough across my lot not to worry. I’m not sure what my numbers are at this point, but it’s ridiculous. I wanted to go full out and do the food forest with the layers and stuff, but I can’t get rid of my grass. I love the way it looks between everything when it isn’t trying to conquer the world(Bermuda). I have a good size, standard vegetable garden set to the side for greens, beans, peppers, tomatoes, etc. I still have a side portion of yard that is bare, so this is still a growing project.
i have at least 50 varieties and many cultivars of fruit, nuts, mecinidals and edible ground covers on what used to be a 1 acre lawn. i tried to keep similar plants somewhat close for pollination purposes but most were random planted as i got them. my rows are planted 15ft. apart and to keep down mowing i mulched with wood chips the whole length of the row. as my ground covers come in ill need less wood chips to keep out the weeds. i put the more ornamental plants towards the road. my steep ditch near the road has been planted with perennial flowers for the bees and i have strips of wildflowers i planted around the yard as well. once the whole property fils in and the wood chips are over grown, I’m going to free range my chickens/ ducks/ geese in there to keep down bug pressure and fertilize for me. right now the chics go right for the wood chips and scatter it all over Gods creation looking for worms!
Mower??..my last mower rusted down over 25 years ago and I gave the motor to a neighbor for a go-cart.
I liked that. Controlled chaos.
Some yards get landscaped with neatly trimmed hedges and formal stone or concrete paths.
Some are the ‘cottage garden’ random look, with shrubs allowed to grow without shearing.
The second agrees with me more than the formal garden look.
In order of pollination. Will do the same this time too.
I’m on .2 acre in the city. So I espalliered everything around the property lines to still have the most available yard left.
I’m hoping once mine grows in, it will shade out the grass. i hate mowing!
I’m looking for that look as well. just enough organization so you can easily get around in there but once in the middle its like a forest path. i do try to plant so the sun is more easily used by all the plants. i have no choice but to put my rows east to west so i plant my goundcovers to the south side and shade tolerant ground covers to the north side of the rows. i also try and put my bigger tress in the most northern (back) rows so they won’t eventually shade out the other rows. the ends of my rows to the west get shaded badly from about 130pm till’ dark from my 50ft. spruces, so there i put my most shade tolerant fruiting plants .
I did two 15ft rows as neatly as we could because it’s across the end of our front yard along the lane. I’ve got about 7 apples arranged by bloom date that went in this winter and 3 dwarf pears from last year. Not sure how they’ll fair with the warm winter it my first attempts at pruning come spring.
Mer, I followed the recommendation of Stefan Sobkowiak (sp?) from Miracle Farms in Quebec. I diversified my trees between multiple fruits and alternated trees about every 3rd tree to encourage pests to have to work harder at finding that next tree. Try out this link to see what you think https://youtu.be/3riW_yiCN5E
Stefan has a pretty good youtube channel. I bought his permaculture orchard dvd. I learned a lot.
I will be planting mine the same way from now on.
Tall trees to the north, smaller spreading trees to the south. 12 or 15 feet between trees and 20 feet between rows. I like to mix up types of trees so that persimmons are next to peaches are next to cherries are next to quince, or something like that – hopefully that will slow diseases from spreading.