Regrettably we can not consult with the tomato to see if it
prefers to sprawl along the ground (as mine like to do) or
be controlled in a cage / led up a stake / kept short & bushy.
I think there's a conflict between straight lines (considered to
be the preference of modern agriculture) and curves (perhaps seen
as the domain of the permaculturists). Straight lines have a bad
rap, which is perhaps undeserved -- there are occasions where it
is simply much easier to grow things in a straight line, such as
the requirement for trellising. You can extend your edge effect
at ground level, if that's what you want to do in that part of your
plot.
If each tree takes
10 minutes of pruning once a year, this seems a reasonable payback
as far as time & effort goes.
I suspect that your problem is not so much with the dwarfing,
pruning, espaliering aspects of the approach, but the lack of
biodiversity in the particular orchard that you've seen.
This
could easily be countered by engineering a comparable trellising
system (the ones I've seen just need stakes, rather than a strained
wire style trellis) and doing lots of companion planting in and
amongst the trees. In this case, it's probably best to consider the
tree as just a variety of apple, rather than a particular style of
farming in and of itself.
If it helps, in several years I'll be able to show you some photos
of how I've integrated such trees into my design. ;)
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