Im on 2 acres, split in half by an access road and there are easements. About 1/4 acre in fruit trees, wild guess maybe 50 varieties. Maybe 1/8 acre is vegetable garden. Some of the land is a woodlot and ravine. I’m also on a deer super-highway.
I have more physical limitations than I used to. I’m trying to figure out some approaches to decrease the work. Watering is too much in summer, so I consolidated some of the kitchen garden beds for less hose-hauling, and tore out some raised beds so now I can mow between them using riding mower. I have heavy mulch on around a lot of the fruit trees for less watering. Many are tall enough to remove deer cages, which will make maintenance a little easier. For most, I have enough room between deer cages that I can use riding mower in those areas too. Photos are part of my land. It doesnt snow often here. This was about 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately I did not include my orchards in these scenes.
We have 6 parcels and a total of 144 acres. 47 acres on the side of the road where the house and garage are has a 1200 sq ft kitchen garden and 300 yards away is the lower veggie garden and apple stooling bed, approx 6300 sq ft not including the stooling bed. House, garage and kitchen garden by the blue dot and veggie garden and stooling bed all the way to the left side:
Where our orchard will be planted out is an old family property sold in the '70’s. We bought this 12 acres in the fall of 2017. It was allowed to go fallow and in the 80’s they stopped mowing so the meadow was populated by pine trees. The future orchard site is referred to as “Maggie’s”.
I have 56 acres. Right now I have about 5 acres fenced off raising watermelons and black eyed peas. I have about 1/4 acre right now planted with fruit trees. I will slowly start planting more trees in the 5 acres until I get about 2 acres of it filled up with an small orchard. Until I retire I am not there full time to take care of it so I can’t plant too much right now.
I’m actually closer to Portland, but in WA State. This only lasted a few days. They predocted “Snowpocalypse” but it was slightly too warm, so just rained for most of it. The small amount of snow is nice, enough to know it’s winter!
Big house was a corner grocery store when built in 1912. No front yard. The far back portion by alley is dominated by barn and approach to it. Plan to get the barn torn down and extend the fence. If that happens then it’ll be closer to 3/16 acre. Raspberry patch, two patches of saffron crocus, 6 black currant bushes, hops and brewing herbs; 9 trees in the ground - oh, and two more across two streets, courtesy of indulgent neighbors - gotta add them into the equation: by October 1/5 acre.
We are on 3/4 acre and over twenty five years I have planted zillions of trees and berries and mushrooms and bees and chickens. Now we have about 60-70 fruit trees or so. The problem is that we have two stories in a large house, and stairs, and now the kids are on their own. So life forces us to downsize and go horizontal, to like a ranch.
So that means the existential farewell to this orchard. Where to next? God only knows. My dear wife wants to go a more urban suburb which means a smaller lot and conceiving a new orchard albeit much much smaller. Very hard.
My one acre is mostly covered by mature walnut , maple, pecan , oak and elm trees. I have removed three maples and one elm over the years but clearly many more need to go.
Thats correct all those and some more are figs. Figs are easier to grow, no spray only thing to move in and out during winter. Here is the full picture of figs.
nice spread!
