At 11:05 AM -0500 11/17/08, Anna Breithaupt wrote:
The garden recently was awarded some money to expand and include a fruit
orchard.
Since the grant was specifically for an orchard, find out if your
state has a chapter of "rare fruit growers" (which I assume is not a
solely California phenomenon?). They are helpful and can offer advice
on what will do well in your area and what's worth the time and
effort. They may even want to take you on as a volunteer project.
(They are not strictly "rare" fruit growers; around here, they seem
to be experienced fruit growers who are looking for new challenges.)
If you don't have rare fruit growers around there, here are some more
places I'd look for fruit-growing enthusiasts. Tell them what you
want to do, and I'd bet a good percentage of them will offer some
sort of help or advice or info on who else to contact. Maybe you can
put together an advisory board or something to help you decide what
to plant and how to maintain.
-- call local arborists and see if anyone specializes in tree fruits.
-- call ag extension and find out if they've done publications on
home fruit growing. Find out who wrote it. Call them.
-- call master gardeners to find out who knows about fruit trees
-- has the local paper done a story on your garden? Get some press,
and put out a call for home fruit growers to help you.
-- do you have a farm trails map for your area? Look for the u-pick
farms that have tree fruit, and call them for advice on what to plant.
-- as a last resort, tap internet gardening forums for Ohio-specific
advice on what to grow.
I agree that strawberries are wonderful -- you have to protect from
birds and patrol for slugs to get a crop. I've planted in the late
fall or winter here and had a crop in the spring/summer. Kids love
finding them. Raspberries are exceptionally easy and rewarding. All
you have to do is add compost in the dormant season, thin canes in
winter, and prune out the canes that bore a spring crop. I'd also
recommend thornless blackberries. I had a huge crop this summer from
one plant that went in the ground spring '07, but I did have to cover
it (with tulle) because the berries were hugely popular with the
birds.
When I lived in Indiana, one of my favorite trees was a mulberry in a
parking lot down the block. Mulberries do take up a lot of space, but
they produce more than you (and the birds) can eat of the sweetest
berries.
I'd also consider a hardy kiwi vine (Actinidia arguta), if you have
enough room and a sturdy enough structure. They are supposed to store
well.
(And, of course, several types of apples and pears on dwarf
rootstock, a persimmon, etc. I'd be more cautious about fruits that
don't store as well, such as peaches and plums.)
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