An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive purpose.
Orchards in Canada
In Canada, apple and other fruit orchards are widespread on the Niagara Peninsula, south of Lake Ontario. This region is known as Canada Fruitbelt and, in addition to large-scale commercial fruit marketing, it encourages “pick-your-own” activities in the harvest season.
Orchard Layout
An orchard’s Bold text layout is the technique of planting the crops in a proper system. There are different methods of planting and thus different layouts. Some of these layout types include:
- Square method
- Rectangular method
- Quincunx method
- Triangular method
- Hexagonal method
- Contour or terrace method
Planning an Orchard for Your Homestead
1. Make a list of all the fruits your family likes
This is the time to dream. Even if you think something won’t grow in your climate, but your family likes it, write it down.
2. Research on varieties that will grow in your climate
You can search fruit trees for your gardening zone on the internet. If you don’t know what gardening zones you are in, you can find your cold hardiness zone in Gardenia
Talk with local gardening friends to find out what varieties grow well in your area. Also, don’t overlook your local nurseries. They have a vested interest in you being successful, so they are usually super helpful. Master Gardeners clubs can also be a helpful resource.
3. Learn what trees are self-fertile and which ones are not
Self-fertile trees are exactly what they sound like – the flowers from this kind of tree will pollinate themselves. Here’s a list of most self-fertile fruits: apricot, pomegranate, citrus, fig, grape, persimmon, most peaches, most berries, and European plums (although they do better with two varieties).
Some trees are not self-fertile and need two trees to produce fruit. You need to make sure that the two trees are different varieties that bloom at the same time. Two trees of the same variety won’t work as pollinators and neither will two different varieties that don’t bloom at the same time. Now, that does not necessarily mean you have to have two trees on your property. If your neighbour has fruit trees, find out what kind he has, get a different variety and they can cross-pollinate. This is a great way to get fruit in an urban yard since the trees need to be within 50 feet of each other. Apples, pears, Japanese plums, cherries, and nuts trees are not self-fertile and require a pollinator.
4. Determine how much space you have available to plant fruit trees and bushes
If you live on an acre or less, you can still have an amazing orchard but you might have it spread out in different areas of your property instead of one large orchard area. Consider using any walls or fences and espaliering some of the fruit trees. An espaliered tree is a tree that you will prune in such a way that it fans out over the wall or fence. This is a great space saver and yet you’ll still get a lot of fruit. If you live on an urban or small homestead you will also want to
consider planting dwarf trees.
5. Put your plans on paper
Take your list of varieties and start putting them on your map. Go outside and walk the map and make sure your plans will work. Is there enough space for a full-size tree of the variety you have listed? Is there enough sun? Is there an adequate water source? When the tree is full size will it cast a shadow on an area that you don’t want to be shaded, your vegetable garden for instance? When planning your spacing you can stagger your trees to get more in less space. Make sure you keep this map in a safe place, like your gardening notebook, so you can refer back to it when it’s
time to plant your tree.
6. Don’t think you have to plant the entire plan this season
An orchard is a long-term relationship, so you have time. Try to add just a few new trees or bushes each year and before you know it you will have a full orchard. It’s a good idea to start with either the fruits that your family loves the most of the most expensive ones to buy.
Design An Orchard
Designing the layout of an orchard before you plant your trees is one of the most enjoyable steps. But take care, since it’s difficult to make changes later.
- Location –It’s important to consider the mature size of each tree when choosing locations. A 4-foot, bare-root apple tree might seem unimposing at planting time. But it can grow to an impressive size if left unchecked. Even with pruning, standard apple trees commonly spread their crowns 20 feet or more. So if you plant two such trees 10 feet apart, they’ll wind up fighting to occupy the same growing space. With this in mind, it’s wise to plot your orchard layout on paper before you start digging holes. Use a long tape measure or an online service like Google Earth to determine the dimensions of the area you’ll be planting. Then outline the perimeter on graph paper to provide an accurate scale guide for choosing tree locations.
- Looking Ahead – Whether you’re purchasing trees from a nursery, website, or mail-order catalogue, consult the descriptions of your trees to determine the height and width they’re expected to reach maturity. Many factors can influence the final size of any given tree. Some varieties naturally grow taller or shorter than others. Pruning, too, can further influence shape and size. Left to their own devices, some standard apple trees can exceed 40 feet in height, with a similar spread. We’ll assume you’ll perform some pruning to control the size and promote healthy growing patterns well-suited to fruit production. A standard fruit tree can be expected to spread more than 20 to 25 feet at maturity. (Dwarf trees will remain less than 10 feet wide.) You can achieve other sizes through more vigorous pruning of standard trees or by planting semidwarf varieties instead.
- Double-Check – Once you’ve laid everything out on paper, walk the area with a long tape measure and handheld GPS to make sure your plan fits with the lay of the land. You might realize the location you’ve marked for an apple tree is a problematic low spot that habitually gathers water. In this case, you’ll want to revise your plan rather than plant the tree in a water-logged location. Local nurseries might offer a service to help you plan and plant your orchard—just ask. If you’re working over a couple of acres or more, establish the corners first and determine all future measurements and calculations from there. To mark the corners, a GPS can be a lifesaver, keeping your lines straight and your corners square to boost the overall integrity of your measurements. GPS data is indeed only accurate down to a few feet—a tape measure is better for short distances. But this margin for error has a minimal impact when marking the corners of a larger area. Placing stakes to mark corners is also helpful. And tying rope between two corners provides a clear visual line for marking other points along the way. To fine-tune your corners and confirm they are square, a little geometry goes a long way. The Pythagorean theorem (a2 + b2 = c2, where a and b are the triangle sides and c is the hypotenuse) can be used to ensure corners are true right angles. (Who knew high school geometry would come in handy?)
- Consider the Harvest – You should also consider the aesthetics and logistics of harvesting fruit when laying out an orchard. Within reason, personal preference can determine whether you plant your trees in tidy rows or scattered haphazardly across a field. It’s your orchard, and whatever design strikes your fancy is worth pursuing. But if you plan on frequently using large machinery in your orchard—tractors for landscaping or hauling water, mechanical harvesting machines for harvesting fruit, etc.—then planting trees in rows with ample driving space between them will make it easier for machinery to manoeuvre through your orchard efficiently.
Time spent properly designing an orchard saves years of farming frustrations and prevents poor economic returns. A well-designed orchard ensures the earliest economic per acre return, maximum per acre production at tree maturity, and the least management cost.
