I’m trying to figure out where I want to place my orchard next spring now that I have 40+ trees on order. All my open farmland slopes to the north and much of it is subject to high winter winds. I’ve been considering this cove because it is better protected from the NW winds during the winter and I believe it drains fairly well. I wonder if it might be a cold pocket however? Would you pick this space over more open field?
Picture is looking north
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Some wind is good to keep rots and fungal afflictions away. It is the still moist air that gets you.
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What’s the slope? Looks fairly level overall.
Are you in a low elevation relative to your immediate area? As danny said, a little wind isn’t a bad thing. NW flow generally isn’t damaging outside of thunderstorm severe weather.
I’d be more concerned about being in a frost pocket. Try to notice this fall if you’re seeing frost in the field and not in your neighborhood…or vice versa.
This site is a quick and easy way to see the terrain elevation around your area.
I’m on the north side of a hill in a portion will a slight slope as well. I prefer it over being on a south side. A southerly slope heats and dries up more because of more direct solar radiation.
“ADK…zone 4”
Are you in the Dacks?
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If you want to grow stone fruit don’t plant in a frost pocket. With milder early springs we are getting earlier break from dormancy and then cold snaps that decrease that year’s crops. Wind may be protective in some of those cases too
Cold air drainage is definitely worth thinking about. Coves and low spots can collect frost on still clear nights even when the surrounding area is fine. The wind protection is great for bloom time but if it’s genuinely lower ground than the surrounding fields I’d be cautious. Can you see if frost settles there earlier or lingers longer in autumn compared to the open slopes?
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First order of business should be where you are building the fences or 40 tree guards i think. If you have deer etc you will have no orchards without protection.
As to where to plant I would dig test holes in each location in several locations before hand and monitor.
If drainage is poor you can plant on mounds or build berms depending on how serious you get with it..
I am offering this as advice from things ive learned the hard way… and wish the hard way on no one.
No clue where you live or what the deer etc are like.. but here where i live i have to build the prisons before i build the orchard. I am less of an orchardist than a prison warden. YMMV.
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Wow! This is hysterical, sad and seems dead-on.
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I have no idea how i can be so jealous of something so sad and ugly as to mar the beauty of an orchard.. Yet i am.
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How late in the morning and early in the evening will that location get direct sunlight? Looks like you have wooded areas to the east and west. In the ADK you’re definitely going to need effective fencing as Kris suggests. My site is a bit bowl shaped and I’m sure it gets some cool air pooling here, but it hasn’t been a problem. I’m located in the Southern Adirondacks.
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How tall are those fences ?
Thanks everyone for the feedback. Sorry I have been busy clearing brush and processing food. It’s already frozen here multiple times 
I was most concerned about picking a spot to prevent cold damage, like on negative teen nights when the wind is whipping at 40-60mph. But perhaps that’s less of a concern with the right varieties. I noticed how badly cold damaged my neighbors fruit trees are out in the open, but they’re probably also just random trees from the hardware store.
The slope is probably 1-2% at max. I’ve attached a topo overlay on the satellite. All the fields I have are pretty gentle slopes. Beyond my northern edge it drops down to a creek, so if the cold goes through the woods easily enough, it should be able to drain down there? I don’t know how much the woods will impede cold drainage. I haven’t noticed frost appearing in that cove specifically.
I’ve been watching the sun and it gets good sunlight. I have to think about a breeze. Typically even in the open here I consider summer “stiffiling” due to the high humidity/low wind. Working outside anytime from June-August is rough between biting flies and humidity.
Fencing is definitely a concern as deer pressure is high. I was planning to put 4x4s in and stringing electric fencing around the perimeter.
I’d like to eventually use the field on the right side of the image, but it’s farthest from my water source. And the lower left is a good spot for high tunnels and near the well head.
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depending on your soil type I don’t think watering is a concern. I rarely water fruit trees after the first year. If you’re growing in beds or shallow containers that’s different.
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Fields/meadows can also be a nightmare with voles. Many threads on here and probably everywhere of the damage and losses due to voles. Some folks are at war.
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Oh yeah, voles could be an issue. There are broad-winged hawks, kestrels, lots of snakes, stoats, and weasels, so hopefully that helps in conjunction with wood chip mulching. The challenge is maintaining their habitat without also encouraging rodents, especially since I’m rather averse to mowing frequently. We have so many bumblebees and other wild pollinators, and I keep the fields on a 2-3 year mowing rotation, but obviously can’t do this within the orchard space.
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Do you have a dog? Dogs are an orchardists best friend. I’m not sure I would get one for that reason alone but they definitely help with pest control.
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Oh yes I have a great little herder/ratter. She will be so happy to have the fenced orchard space to run around in. She wanders a bit, so the fence will let her work with me while I’m outside. Usually I’m too distracted while working and can’t keep an eye on her, so she has to watch from the deck.
I was cleaning out the overgrowth from some old apples trees here yesterday and found a new tree she absolutely adores. She was pawing at the bag begging for me to feed her more slices 
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Sounds adorable.
Do you have an Aussie by any chance ? Sounds like mine, my Aussie (my second dog) can be a bit detrimental to my garden, he will eat raspberries off the cane, eats blueberries, but also killed a bunch of blueberries by chewing their twigs in the winter (when he was a puppy). I also didnt get any cucumbers as he chewed all their leaves. Still love having him around.
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She’s a much smaller breed (Lancashire Heeler) but still goes for the fruit. She will hop up and grab blueberries and raspberries, so we have a little bit of a competition to see who gets them first. Luckily she’s usually distracted by some kind of critter. I have to keep her out of the garden because she will dig at the drip irrigation lines behind the fabric bags looking for critters.
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