According to an old proverb, the best time to plant a fruit tree is 10 years ago. The second best time is today.
So these three varieties – Roxbury Russet, Galarina, and Sundance, along with a peach I grafted last year, a cherry tree we bought at the Hardwick Co-op and an aronia bush cutting will be planted soon in a small orchard area we created last year.
We have a 40′ by 50′ space that has an existing old apple tree and some large rocks. (Hey, it’s New England, there are always rocks.)
While this may feel crowded for the number of trees we’re planning, the method I’ll be following is to keep the trees small with judicious pruning both in early spring and at the summer solstice. According to Ann Ralph in her book “Grow a Little Fruit Tree” Early spring pruning sets the architecture of the tree. Mid summer pruning controls size.
I’m hopeful this will keep our trees at human and homesteader scale, giving us enough fruit but not too much to handle.
We’ll keep you posted!