Hit the Dirt; Work in the Orchard

Hello and welcome to another hit the dirt. Many people tend to think of trees as low maintenance. So the backyard orchards don't get the kind of daily or weekly attention that the vegetable and flower gardens do. But the harvest of summer and fall and perhaps a bit of pruning in the late winter are not the only times dabble in the orchard. I'm slowly learning all that is involved in properly caring for a small orchard of trees. And while I still don't give the trees the attention they ought to get especially during the busy summer. I'm finding that there isn't a month of the year when the orchard should be neglected. In keeping track of all the maintenance activities I found a book entitled The Orchard a spray saver Guide to be quite helpful. It is written by Stephen Page and Joe smelly and contains a wealth of good information on general care of fruit trees from planting to feeding to pruning to harvesting. And what I find to be especially helpful is that it is arranged in a calendar format that is it goes through each month of the year and presents what tasks need doing then. What is even better is that the

authors live in Maine in Quebec so the timing of their suggestions is good for our climate. Many of the month by month card and books are written with a more southerly climate in mind and so can't be trusted for our gardens. But this book seems to be right on. Which makes it particularly useful for us maners. For the chapter on August they have written during the dry months. I pay special attention to the mulch in the orchard keeping it locked up and thick to preserve the precious moisture necessary for the swelling fruit. Several years of drought conditions in which the young trees under mulch were the only ones to thrive convince me that I'd rather mulch than irrigate. The combination of keeping the grass between Rose moat close and the mulch in the rows thick loose has proven to me that irrigation is not necessary in my climate. One thing that is necessary in any climate is daily patrolling for dropped fruit. I carry a grain bag with me and scoop up drops whenever I can. Sometimes I cut a fallen fruit open and find developing larvae inside which would have continued to haunt me in succeeding generations if I hadn't interrupt

its life cycle. At this vulnerable stage sometimes I find an apple with a codling moth entrance tunnel in the blossom end and no exit hole through the side of the fruit. This too goes into the sack because I know that there is a little worm inside. Well I lug this bag around to console myself with the thought that every larvae I remove now will mean hundreds less the next year. I know there will still be plenty but if I want to spray less I have to clean up. Always late summer walks through the trees give me an opportunity to mentally size up the crop and prepare for the hectic picking season to come. I know which trees are bearing well and which are not expected for damage from insects and disease. Mentally tallying up the percentage of the crop that will go into cider. It's the wrong time of the year to prune. It's too late to do much about insects so the orchard walks take on a more relaxed and reflective nature. There is even time to skip down to the pond for a swim. Now even with that last statement they do give quite a list of tasks to stand top of in August. These include

start summer Bud grafting which is the method of grafting that now predominates in the fruit tree nursery trade check for boars especially intra peach trees removed dropped peaches weekly to discourage brown rot start to harvest Peaches when the background color yellows. Watch for secondary scab infections. Water new trees. Once you have planted in the last couple of years deeply clean insect traps in warm weather as the job gets more difficult with time. Pick fruit in cool weather and chill immediately for storage. Keep all windfalls cleaned up turned mulch and keep grass mowed close for a cleaner harvest. And I would add to that just keep the eyes open. So much of good gardening of any sort is being a keen observer. As you keep up on the mowing mulching watering and gathering of drop fruits this month be sure to note the overall appearance of the trees. General health and vigor as well as

any specific problems such observations will let you know if a tree might be experiencing any nutrient deficiency or other soil related problems. However keep in mind that late summer is not generally a good time for any major applications of fertilizers especially sources of nitrogen. The reason is that you don't want to encourage new growth which wouldn't be able to harden off before winter. For this reason you also want to avoid any major pruning at this time. Well judging by the amount of fruit set on virtually all of the trees in my neck of the woods it looks like it's going to be a great harvest this year. But while it is nice to just sit here and think of all the yummy sauce cider and pies I'll be enjoying this winter I better get on out now to care for my trees to make sure that in future years the harvest is bountiful as well. See you next week. And hit the dirt.