North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Joe and Ellen Hecksel <jhecksel@voyager.net>]

Andrew wrote:


> i have land i am planning a small farm for in cold zone four on the 
> south shore of lake superior.  soil pH 4-5.  i plan to alley crop it 
> with annual crops/perennial flower nursery in between rows of fruits.  i 
> also hope to graze sheep
>
> -i was told....  
>
> -why would i NOT want a standard?  why would i WANT a standard?
>
> -how about pears?


First, there are a few issues you need to become clear on.  I don't want 
you to post the answers to the internet.  I want you to think about 
where you fall in the landscape of fruit growers.

Are you:
A: Intending to get your full income from those 5 acres?  That is, will 
your sales to be your lone source of income for the entire year?
B:  How much money do you have?  It sounds crass but you proceed along 
two different paths if you cut hair for a living and $200 is a lot of 
money to you, or if you have $10,000 to play with.
C: Are you plugged in with the market in some way?  Are you a player in 
the local organic scene or do players know you and think well of you?
D: How close are you to cities of +10,000 people?
E:  How would you characterize your personality?  Are you experimental 
in nature?  Nobody will be able to hand you a ready-made blueprint.  You 
are going to have to feel your way along like a blind person with a 
cane.  "All that glitters is not gold and all who wander are not lost." 
 Also, "Meandering leads to perfection."
F:  What kinds of time frames do you have in mind
G:  Can you graft?
H:  Are you plagued by whitetail deer?
I:  Can you irrigate?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

OK, enough waffling.  If you were my nephew and you asked those questions:

Your pH is really low.  I would start a test planting of domestic 
highbush blueberries.  I suggest you include a mix of half-highs and the 
cultivars reputed to be cold hardy.  Run these close to the road to 
facilitate U-pick.  Plant no more than 5 of each cultivar.  You want 
information.  Massive production can come later.

If you are besieged by whitetail deer, then everything you do to armor 
your trees will also protect them from sheep.  Hey, why not.  You can 
always dump the sheep if it does not work out.  Try three "T" posts in a 
triangle 18" on a side and 48" high, 1" mesh poultry netting wrapped 
around them.

I know nothing about your soil type.  I will assume that it is very 
coarse.  I will also assume that you can either graft or know somebody 
who can graft.  Zone 4 is really not that cold.  You should *consider* 
buying 50 Haralson/MM111 or MacSpur/MM111 from a large, wholesale 
nursery.  There are many other zone 4 hardy, fireblight resistant 
choices that would be fine.  Get big rascals.  They can grow them faster 
than you can.  Plant them so the graft union is just below ground level. 
 Graft them over (at whatever height is convenient) to what you think 
sells.  The upside of this plan is that failed grafts still have income 
potential.

Do the same thing with pears.  Ask around to find out what commercially 
available pear cultivars are hardy and blight resistant.  50 pear trees 
from a wholesale nursery will be far cheaper than 20 pear trees from a 
boutique nursery.

Plan on making lots of mistakes.  Figure out how to make them cheaply. 
To me, that means graft just a few trees of any cultivar unless you KNOW 
it will be a commercial success.  Otherwise, be quick to abandon the 
cultivar when it shows its flaws.

Have a plan for your Grade B fruit.  One novel idea is to sell 
"cultured" cider.  Cultured cider is to cider what yogurt is to milk. 
It is not "hard" cider....yet.  The concept is that it is better to have 
selected strains of yeast colonizing your cider as E. coli.

Start small.  Pay attention to what works.  Abandon what fails to 
thrive.  Be flexible.  Be strategic.

Regarding strategic:  I raise sheep and know a little bit about them. 
Start with some cross-bred commercial lambs.  Buy them from a farmer who 
is trying to make money rather than raise pets.  Breed them their second 
year to a black faced ram.  Time breeding so the lambs hit the ground 
when the soil temperature hits 50F...about May 7-20 for you.  That means 
you turn the ram out December 12.  Let the amount of grass you have on 
August 15 determine your sheep numbers.  You can ignore this advice when 
you get really good at sheep.  But there is no point in making life 
difficult before you are ready.


--
-Joe Hecksel
My personal website: http://my.voyager.net/~jhecksel