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market-farming - Re: My research...(was Re: Orchards and fruit trees)

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  • From: suzyr AT netos.com (Suzy Roth)
  • To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: My research...(was Re: Orchards and fruit trees)
  • Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2000 12:12:35 -0800


I will be planting other fruit - strawberries, blackberries, blueberries,
but not in the "orchard".

I wouldn't dismiss planting a variety of crops around your fruit trees. On my trip to Italy last fall I was struck by the mix of crops in the Italian countryside. Grapes and olive trees grew in rows side by side with the family garden growing down the middle of a few wide rows. While the language barrier kept me from quizzing the local farmer, what I saw being practiced seemed extremely logical and similar to what's being preached in permaculture and organic farming pubs. I think they called it fooling the pests! I currently don't practice this method but plan on setting up my orchard/berries/grapes in a similar way.

Another observation were the orchards around Bologne, Italy. Their fruit trees are espaliered in rows. While this seems like a lot of work at first, an orchardist near me in WA state has been hit with apple maggot fly and he said that if he could have coated both sides of his fruit with soap spray, he wouldn't have gotten as much maggot damage which seemed to occur on the side of the apple facing the interior of the tree. He believes the extensive espaliering I saw in Italy was their way of being able to spray both sides of the apple.

Suzy Roth
Thistle Ridge Farm & Gardens
Issaquah, WA




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