This young orchard (shown above during a potluck lunch)
on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia is situated on 5 acres of land about 20 miles (30
km) north of Victoria, BC. It is in the south end, which is wilder and less developed part
of the island, with the ocean just a short walk away.
The orchard, on a slight south facing slope, was created from
scratch on land logged in 1980, with the first apple trees planted in 1986. It consists of
about 300 trees (150 connoisseur apple varieties) of mostly apples, but
also plums, pears, cherries and Asian pears. The soil is very rich, deep and well drained
with the organic content improving every year. Very few rocks exist in the loose, loamy
soil.
A 7 foot high fence (installed fall 1985) very successfully keeps the many deer out of the
3 acre orchard.
My emphasis has been on the best tasting connoisseur apple varieties in the world, both
heritage and new, plus red-fleshed apple varieties. At present I have
about 14 red fleshed varieties including Hall's Pink, Surprise, Almata, Pink
Pearl, Burgundy, Mott's Pink, Webster's Pink Meat, Winter Red Flesh, Red Flesh, Baldwin
Red Flesh and Aerlie Red Flesh (AKA Hidden Rose), and I am always searching for
other red fleshed varieties. Contact me if you have others. Thanks
I would describe Apple-Luscious Organic Orchards as a wild
orchard where
a) little mowing in done except for a small circle
around each tree and walking paths. The 8 HP walk behind DR field mower is the perfect
device to keep the voracious alders and blackberry bushes under control. It is not
possible to keep the blackberry bushes under control by hand. A large harvest of wild
black berries each year is a perfect reward for allowing the 1 inch diameter vines full of
thorns to keep growing in the lower corner of the orchard. The vines will grow at least 8
feet off the ground up into fruit trees, then back down to the ground on the other side.
At times I have had to use a machete to search through a mound of blackberry bushes to
find a new 6 foot tall fruit tree that got swallowed. But blackberry is my second
favourite fruit next to apples.
Weeds including any of the nitrogen fixing plants such as vetches and clovers are
encouraged.. I also take great pride in my 7 foot tall thistles. I believe this wild
growth is beneficial as it is bringing up nutrients from deep in the earth, it provides
lots of organics in the top layer of soil, it provides a large surface area for the
morning dew which appears everywhere on summer mornings and it becomes a living mulch to
hold in any moisture whether rain or dew. Most summer mornings have a heavy dew.
b) all organic meaning that no herbicides, pesticides,
chemical fertilizers or dormant oil are now used or were ever used on this property.
c) no irrigation is used on the established trees with
older trees on M7 roots but more recent trees on MM106 or MM 111 to make them more drought
resistant. I do water new trees (which are mulched) or any older trees which seems to need
water.
d) most years each tree receives seaweed collected on
the beaches Total application in 1995 was 11 half ton loads or 1/4 wheelbarrow per tree..
Old-timers speak very highly of the value of this fertilizer and it does seem to make
strong plants which in theory are better able to withstand attacks by insects. Seaweed
research indicate that it
supplies high potassium nutrients (NPK = 1.7 - 0.75 - 4.9),
supplies many trace minerals and growth producing hormones
promotes chelating abilities to release locked-up minerals,
fosters strong growth habit and possible control of red spider mites. Seaweed also
tends to bring with it some clam and oyster shell, which supplies an added bonus -
calcium.
|
A one year old tree grows in soil with fish waste and
manure buried the year before. When planted the trees were mulched with hay. Crab shells,
Oyster shell and seaweed on top. |
Seaweed is also free of weed seed, insect eggs and plant
disease. Besides, there is nothing more peaceful that collecting seaweed on a beach in
early morning while watching the dogs play in the sand or chase seagulls. During summer
1997, I had an incredible experience when arriving in the early morning at the beach to
collect seaweed. I heard an animal squeal out on the beach but didn't concentrate on the
noise. When it persisted, I went out to find a baby raccoon with his paw stuck in the mud.
I wasn't sure what had it but one quick shovelful, loosened the culprit. A huge clam had
the baby's paw inside. The now quieter raccoon then backed off pulling the clam. In a
short time it was gone, presumable when the clam let go. The tide was coming in and would
have drowned the raccoon, presuming the clam would have kept hanging on when the tide
reached it.
e) most years the orchard receives some crushed oyster
shell. Total application in 1995 was one half ton load obtained from an oyster farm.
f) fish wastes from the local retail fish store are
buried in holes this year, ready to have an apple tree planted there over it the following
year. Natives tended to use fish as a fertilizer for their gardens.
g) not a lot of mechanization is used in the orchard.
No roadways exists at this time through the orchard, but only paths for
wheelbarrows. I might be forced to change this later, however, when trees come into full
production.
h) no Red Delicious are allowed, although I welcome
someone to challenge my poor opinion of them with suggestions of the truly delicious Red
Delicious varieties of the past that did have good taste.
The orchard is surrounded by cedars and alders, some quite large and thus creating too much shade. Also the tent caterpillar, which also
hosts on the alder, was very prevalent around the orchard in summer 1996. During
pruning (March 1997) many tent caterpiller egg masses existed in the orchard, a
parasitic wasp killed off the caterpillers before they could do any damage in the summer
of 1997
When pruning, the egg masses attached to
the apple tree branches are all picked off and burned. The alder will grow to 20 inches in
diameter, and they are a nitrogen fixers as well so are good for the soil. When they get
old, they start dying off, so I have cut 4 or 5, and they will be my firewood for next
year. An 11 year old alder averaged 8 inches in diameter at the base.
I am certainly not an expert organic farmer; I do make
mistakes, but I am eager to learn and have lots of energy. However, I do believe the
future will prove that organic farming is necessary for health people and the future of
our world. I am quite happy with the quality of the fruit produced in the orchard and I
can see definite improvements each year as roots become better established as the
successive applications of seaweed add to the nutrient levels. Although I did win most
prizes for apples in the 1996 Salt Spring Fall Fair, I also have some varieties which are
in need of improvements. In 1997, the fruit of Mutsu, Golden Delicious, Summered, Winter
Banana, and Spartans had some scab and spotting, but showed great improvement in
1998. In the long run, my orchard might also become an experiment to find out which
varieties are best suited to our climate. As a last resort, some varieties might be culled
when they prove to be unsuccessful producers of good quality apples. I expect all
varieties to grow successfully. This orchard will become a treasury of good
quality eating apple well suited to the Gulf Islands.
|
This is a huge south end Douglas Fir tree(over 500 years
old). It is a giant and standing beneath it is both humbling and exhilirating.
Mom and I (with dogs) enjoy the size of this Grand Daddy. It is amazing to think
that this tree was growing about the time that Columbus discovered America. |
|Apple Luscious
Orchard||The Farmers Network|
|About HarryBurton||Salt
Spring Island B.C.|
|Artists and Friends||Other
Points of Interest|
|Email Webmaster| |Contact Apple Luscious|
|
