ProgressiveFarmer.com|Get it Done|John Deere|How-to Projects

Step-by-step Guide for Planting for a Small Home Orchard
Here's how to get a small orchard off to a good start.

Home orchards, once a common site on any farmstead, seem to be making a comeback these days. Much of the credit has to go to the newer dwarf varieties of trees. Whereas a standard-size apple tree can reach a height of 30 feet, dwarf trees can produce the same apple but go no higher than 10 feet. That means less space and less work. Indeed, some commercial orchards are even replanting with them.

Dwarf trees also begin to bear fruit earlier. You can start picking apples in three to four years after planting versus the five to seven years for standard-size trees. At peak production, a dwarf tree can produce as much as 6 bushels of fruit.

We ordered several varieties of fruit trees last fall (see "Plan Now for a Home Orchard,") from Stark Bros Nurseries in Louisiana, Mo. The trees arrive in March, a perfect time to plant because the trees are still dormant from winter. Planting now will give them time to settle in the ground and get established by the time the buds break later this spring.

Planting a tree is pretty straightforward. Still, Elmer Kidd, director of production at the nursery, gave us some tips to get a small orchard off to a good start.

	1. PREPARING THE SITE We started work on the orchard the previous fall by choosing a well-drained area where the tree roots would never be in standing water. (A north-facing slope is preferable because it helps keep trees from budding too quickly in early spring.) The first step was testing the soil and adding the recommended nutrients. Next, we planned the orchard out so the dwarf fruit trees would be 14 feet apart in rows 16 feet apart. This will give us plenty of room to mow between trees. We sprayed Roundup in 3-foot-diameter circles. In the spray was a preemergent that would carry over into spring to help with weed control.
	2. PLANTING You can't go wrong with the old adage, "Dig a $10 hole for a $5 tree." Give the roots plenty of room so they aren't cramped. Then cover with loosened soil. Dwarf trees are nothing more than regular fruit trees grafted onto dwarf roots, so there is a union knot between the two. Plant so the union is 1 to 2 inches above the ground. That will keep the top part of the tree from rooting. Then firm the soil with your foot and water.
	3. PRUNING Common folklore is to prune both the roots and the tops. However, the roots will already have been "pruned" when the tree was dug up the previous fall. When the newly planted tree comes out of dormancy this spring, it will need all of the energy it can get to survive, so prune roots only if they are broken or look damaged. Prune the leader and branches heavily when you plant. Kidd recommends taking a good 30% off, which allows the reduced root structure to easily nourish the top. Take off the top third of the central leader. Remove the weakest limbs and take about a third off of the larger limbs. Prune these at a bud facing away from the center leader so the limb will grow away from the trunk. Apple and pear trees will naturally grow upward and slightly outward. You want to leave the upward growth but encourage the outward growth. Peach trees should be pruned so there is no central leader, just limbs growing horizontally so the tree is shaped like a vase.
	4. TRAINING Limbs will naturally want to grow upward. But to induce fruiting, encourage them to grow outward by pushing small plastic "tree spreaders" (available from most fruit nurseries) at the base of each limb. Another method is to simply tie them to a stake in the ground or to a small weight.