The Orchard – Many Treats for Big and Small Sweet Tooths

Having your own orchard has many advantages. Although an orchard requires more space compared to a vegetable garden, nothing beats a freshly picked apple from your own apple tree.

Untreated, fresh fruit from your own garden is just one of the benefits an orchard offers. Creating your own orchard isn't that difficult and can be done with a few simple tricks.

Once the decision has been made to create an orchard, good planning is essential. First, it’s necessary to decide which fruits to plant. Fruits are generally divided into three categories: stone fruits, pome fruits, and berries. Stone fruits have a woody pit inside, also called a stone. The most well-known stone fruits are cherries, plums, apricots, mirabelles, and peaches. Pome fruits, which have a core instead of a stone, include apples, quinces, and pears. Berries are small fruits that grow on shrubs, such as blackberries, currants, and gooseberries. If you can never get enough of snacking, you can of course combine different types of fruit. The decision mainly depends on the specific location and soil conditions the chosen fruits require. But in an orchard, there’s certainly a suitable fruit for every type of site. Even hobby gardeners with small gardens or balconies don’t have to forgo fruit: espalier fruit is a great way to grow fruit in limited spaces. Columnar fruit has been specifically bred to provide fresh fruit even on balconies.

Fruit trees are typically planted in the fall. While planting in spring is also possible, it requires more care from the gardener. When fruit trees are planted in the fall, they have enough time before winter to establish strong and robust roots. The hole for planting the tree should be at least twice the size of the root ball. After planting, a support stake is particularly important to tie the fruit tree to. This ensures that the tree grows straight and the orchard remains stable and healthy. After watering well, the first harvest from the fruit tree will soon be ready. But even on the terrace or balcony, small treats can provide delicious snacks. Berry fruits like strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries can also be planted in containers and placed on the balcony or terrace. With a trellis, berry plants can grow upwards in a space-saving and convenient way. As fruit trees and shrubs are often sold as container plants, they can be easily planted in either fall or spring.

Once you've established an orchard, you naturally want to enjoy the fruit for many years to come. This is why proper care is essential. The most important aspect is keeping the plants and trees young. For example, strawberries should not grow in the same bed for more than 4 years, and by the fourth year, the plants should be moved to a new bed. Fruit trees such as apples, pears, plums, and others require regular rejuvenating pruning to stay healthy and yield a bountiful harvest. Pruning fruit trees should be done in the fall or winter. In general, the earlier the trees are pruned in the fall, the more vigorously they will sprout in the spring. Healthy pruned sections can be shredded with a garden shredder and used as mulch. Sections from diseased trees should be disposed of in a bin and should not be placed in the garden bed or compost. Tools used to prune diseased plants should be disinfected. Regular fertilizing will also keep the plants in the orchard healthy and strong.