Hi, all, On fruit trees, I'd be the ultimate skeptic, except for what I've seen over the years at ACGA conventions on tours. Amazing things are possible, as I saw particularly in NYC.
A great resource is NAFEX, the North American Fruit Explorers. http://nafex.org Be sure to check with Extension to see what requirements fruit trees have in your area. There might already be some on campus, too, check with grounds. An interesting option might be the apples developed to be resistant to diseases, especially out of the Purdue/Rutgers/Illinois breeding program (they often have "PRI" in their name - Pristine, William's Pride, Prima...). Here are three links, one to Cummin's Nursery, a very good resource. http://www.cumminsnursery.com/disease.htm http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/hort/g06026.htm Dave Wilson always has an interesting take on things, too: http://www.davewilson.com/ Be sure to get the basics right, and do your research! Fruit trees are long term, and while they are lovely and I'm totally into them, they can be a major pain in the tookas. Fruit drop, for instance, with attendant rats and bugs (not like the nice singing ones in Enchanted, either). And trees (pears especially) get fireblight, and look bloody awful before they die. And trees don't always get along well with veggies (shade, need for occasional emergency spraying, in a "spray it or loose it (or have no fruit)" situation - a sad and debate prompting event when it comes to that). Basics means not only variety, but chill hours, rootstock, and selection of right varieties for pollination - which brings us to pollinators, like bees. So, fruit trees are great, but know what you are getting into. My two suggestions are to start small, and choose proven trees for your area. You might even want to start with berries (not mulberries, necessarily - I'm talking blackberries, strawberries, that kind of thing). Personally, on your fruit trees, I'd go for a durable semi-dwarfing rootstock (again, ones proven in Minnesota) rather than espalier in the beginning, unless you've got a Master Gardener or other passionate person (hort student) who is really into training and tending them over 5 years plus. And I'd group them, where if you have to spray in an emergency you won't cause garden rioting. Mike's right, green fruit are tempting projectiles. You'll develop a whole new vocabulary for talking about kids, birdies and squirrels... Last three comments: Learn about cover crops, one very interesting thing to do is create a no-till area around your mini-orchard. If your initial 'start small' project works out, consider creating a place for heirloom varieties. That is tremendously important work, in a world where we ship in fruit from god knows where and are rapidly losing our local varieties (a good take on this is Michael Pollan's essay on Johnny Appleseed in 'The Botany of Desire'. And remember to place fruit trees so all can enjoy how drop dead beautiful they are in the spring when they bloom! Even without fruit, they are worth it for that reason. Good luck! Don Boekelheide Charlotte, NC www.urbanminsitrygarden.wordpress.com *** Ann wrote: How about espaliering fruit trees - more labor intensive initially but pest and diseases are easier to manage as is general maintenance and harvesting. I know fruit trees are a pain but I love them and when it comes time to harvest the fruit all the work is worth it. If your growing area isn't fenced in it is reasonable to expect to lose produce to people - in the city you can't have a vegetable garden without a fence - there would be little left for the gardeners to harvest. A university setting might be different but I suspect not as much as one might think. And I have witnessed the neighborhood youth pitching the apples from the few trees growing in the sidewalks - mostly the apples are eaten by individuals in the community but they do make enticing objects for the youth to throw at each other. I would say more get eaten then used for entertainment though. Good luck - it sounds like a great project! Ann Community Gardens Manager DE Center for Horticulture Wilmington, Delaware Mike McGrath <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: I like the kiwi vine idea a lot.... ---McG ----- Original Message ----- From: Steven Garrett To: Mike McGrath ; Brian Noy ; [email protected] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007 5:40 PM Subject: Questions on urban orchard and garden at college I generally agree with Mike, but I would add the caveat that it may depend on the type of tree and its suitability to the local climate and pest conditions. Due to the humid, short and warm summers found in Minneapolis, I would doubt that the trees mentioned in the email below (apple, pear, peach, cherries) can be grown organically there very easily. On the other hand, Mulberry trees seem to grow real well in Minneapolis. I saw them growing well in parks where they surely receive no special agronomic attention. Don't Paw-Paw trees come from that area? As for the moist maritime climate of the Puget Sound where I live, those common trees don't generally do well here either. Italian Prune trees grow great as do some cherries; if you can get the fruit before the birds and squirrels. Apples, on the other hand, are extremely problematic. I would not recommended them here for communally gardened areas, since they require a lot of care (like individually bagging each apple to thwart apple maggot). Maybe instead of trees, people can think of vines. Kiwis, both hardy and fuzzy grow extremely well here. I generally get around 75-150 pounds off of my one vine (actually 2; male and female). All they seem to need is compost and a good pruning to get last years vines off. Many grapes do real well here, too. And they provide great shade. The hardy kiwi can grow in Minnesota and I expect some grapes could too. Steven 1) Tree fruits are VERY hard to grow well, especially organically; and yes, dropped fruits invite vermin. Speaking of which: 2) I strongly suggest a sturdy fence to keep the large two-legged types out. ---Mike McG ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brian Noy" To: ; Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007 2:22 PM Subject: [Community_garden] Questions on urban orchard and garden at college > Augsburg College, a liberal arts college of around 3,000 students in the > heart of Minneapolis will be showing our agrarian side this coming summer. > We'll be: > > - creating a community garden on a large piece of vacant land. Plots will > be > distributed to staff and faculty to incorporate into classes, to > neighbors, > and to community organizations. The space is well lit and on > - planting orchard trees (apple, maybe pear, peach, cherry) in various > spaces > - food from these sources will feed the caretakers, as well as others > through the Campus Kitchen community kitchen program ( > www.augsburg.edu/campuskitchen) > > Questions we have: > > - What are some problems that may be associated with fruit trees? Using > apples as ammunition? Attracting mischievous folks into the garden if the > trees are embedded within the garden? Rotten fruit attracting pests? Does > any one have examples that either support or (hopefully) disprove these > concerns? Any Twin Cities fruit tree experts want to consult for us? > - What are the benefits and limitations of having fences? Living fences > (shrubs, raspberries, etc) versus something chicken wire? For those > reading > this locally, can we expect problems with rabbits and raccoons? Can we > expect problems with unwelcome human neighbors? > > Any wisdom is appreciated. Answers in voice are welcome as well, if you'd > like to call one of the numbers below. Thanks in advance! > > ~Brian _______________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [email protected] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: http://list.communitygarden.org/mailman/listinfo/community_garden_list.communitygarden.org
