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The orchard |
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Orchard. The word evokes images of tidy rows of fruit trees, all brimming
with bright-colored fruit. Our orchard isn't quite like that... Yes, there
are fruit trees, to be sure: 3 apples (a dwarf red delicious, a not-so-dwarf granny
smith, and a to-be-determined royal gala), a pear, an apricot, a peach, a nectarine,
two sweet cherries and one sour cherry tree. Problem is, they've not been particularly
fruitful so far - with the exception of the pear, which provides us (and the
wasps) with a bountiful harvest most years. The stone fruits, in the years they decide
to set fruit, get attacked by a terrible fungus (fireblight?), and I'm usually
too busy to take preventative measures - so we've never harvested an apricot, peach,
or nectarine. The red delicious apple usually gives us some fruit, but we're not
particularly fond of it (the worms are, though). And the granny smith, for all
its bulk, hardly sets any fruit (it's gonna get the heave-ho one of these years). We
have all our hopes, apple-wise, set on the new royal gala...
But our orchard is about more than just fruit trees. It's also home to
- Our
blackberry and raspberry bramble patch - only our brave little boys dare venture
in
- Some ornamental shrubs (viburnum opulus and viburnum trilobum, as well as a
mock orange)
- Our composting area: two side-by-side 4ft square bins I constructed out of
leftover bricks one year. One glance and you'll see I'd never make a very good
mason, but it works OK. Since we never have the right mix of greens and browns and
it never stays wet enough in summer, the composting process is slow. One side is
compacted, actively composting material, while the other side is heaped full of
uncompacted stalks and other waste, waiting for a trip through the shredder before
it can start it journey to black-goldness.
Any space not taken up by the above gets used to temporarily stash plants. Mostly
seedlings started that spring that are too small to live in the regular garden
areas yet, also some dug-up volunteers that will make their way into the spring
plant sale. Very many plants! Quite a
sight in winter, when the only things visible are the myriad white plant markers
that will remind me what is where come spring.
The plants below are permanent residents of our orchard area
The plants below grow in holding zone A
The plants below grow in holding zone B
The plants below grow in holding zone C
The plants below grow in holding zone D
The plants below grow in holding zone E
The plants below grow in holding zone F
The plants below grow in holding zone G
The plants below grow in holding zone H
The plants below grow in holding zone I
The plants below grow in holding zone J
The plants below grow in holding zone K
The plants below grow in holding zone L
The plants below grow in holding zone M
The plants below grow in holding zone N
The plants below grow in holding zone O
The plants below grow in holding zone P
The plants below grow in holding zone Q
Last modified:
November 10, 2006
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