The young fruit trees continue their growth here at EEC Forest Stewardship. Blooms are a sure sign of health and happiness, along with active pollination and the forming of fruit on the stem. Flowers were out early this year, and pollinators have been slow in their arrival, so some trees may have a lot of great blossoms, but as the petals fall, no bulge at the base means no fruit on the stem. The later flowering fruit varieties should be more successful this year. Sometimes, the early fruit comes with a warm spell, activating the pollinators early enough. This year, there has been no warm, up, which is normal for Spring in this area. Most of the native plants flower later in the Spring, closer to mid-May or early June. In years of tracking the fruit here at EEC, our production varies often. A bumper corp year usually comes with cool Spring temperatures, but a lot of good rain. Our precipitation has been waning in recent years, especially in Springtime, when you would expect more consistent showers.
The younger fruit trees will take time to establish and adapt to these changes as they grow. I’ve alreadt noted quinces thrive, and cherries that dodge blight do well. Apples are hit or miss, with some loosing their grafts and going feral- we’ll graft onto those soon. Nut trees are starting to pick up in production, though it takes a good 8-10 years for one tree to mature enough to be commercially viable. Good thing we’re not working to become an industrial nut farm. Fruit trees are a part of working more food production into the landscape here, and also keep alive some very good apple strains that do produce well in a changing environment. Heritage varieties were developed before modern pesticides, so they are more resilient to many pathogens and pest insects that would plague orchards with modern industrial varieties developed for good looks, shipment resiliency, and size; while relying on harsh chemical protections applied by the farmer.
No toxins are used at Leafhopper Farm, and EEC Forest Stewardship remains a restoration forest with no use for chemical treatments in a healthy restored rainforest. Fruit tree cultivars are not part of a wild temperate rainforest, but they are a great short term tree that builds hard wood and fleshy fruit to feed us while we work to restore native plants over time. Many replacement species are already established and growing nearby. Oso Berry, Saskatoon, and mock orange are all understory trees that will help to establish the landscape for larger trees to come. Much of the northern most point of the EEC property remains open to cultivation and human habitation, so we don’t plant large evergreen trees while people are still living here. This allows for a clearing with good sun for our cultivation areas near housing. The majority of the property is being reforested, and the understory native fruit bearing species are thriving. In many parts of our cultivation, we mix native and non-native together for diversity. Below you see oso berry with a cultivar apple. There is also currant, hops, rose, and a cultivar cypress shrub in this planting, part of the kitchen garden hedge that protects the veggie patch from chickens and sheep.
Mom’s Orchard is still focused on individual fruit trees in what looks like a more traditional orchard layout- rows of young saplings with a manicured ground to prevent competition with food trees. Each tree is fenced to protect it from our livestock and the wild deer that roam through. The older, more mature trees up hill, are almost tall enough to take away the temporary protections, while there is a row of very young trees at the lowest point on the slope that are as of yet fenced. I was hoping once the upper area of the property was fully fenced, we’d stop having deer visiting, but they do still jump in occasionally. The sheep can be kept off the trees in future with electric mesh portable fencing. What I plan to do next is add in understory crops like comfrey and beans, wildflowers and ground cover like kinnikinnick. In diversifying the understory of this orchard, we’ll help to layer support for the fruit trees in fellow plants that act as companions by exchanging surplus resources with the trees to enhance overall soil health and root networks.
Science has proven forests are collaborative. Though also competing for sunlight, the nutrients needed in a forest ebbs and flows; being easily exchanged, between growing things in the mycological network. The collective forest does not hoard extra resrouces, but stays in a give and take with neighbors and stands, cultivating diversity, equity, and the inclusion of healthy soil below our feet. This is how a living ecosystem thrives. Talk about trust, everything in the forest participates in fair exchange- but that’s environmental. Cooperation always outlasts conflict, though conflict is necessary for evolution. This is the constant shifting entropy encompassing all things- and it’s not woo woo, it’s the living, breathing world we humans are a part of- but back to the fruit grove. This orchard still reflects a typical planting for industrial layout. The trees are planted in rows for mechanical access- in this case, chicken tractors and electric mesh movable fencing, sheep grazing, and slope staggering for maximum sunlight. This site offers some good orchard planning tips. Here in Western Washington, south facing hillside is great for the diverse range of fruit species we’re hosting. Pest cycles, climate extremes, and continued cultivation in diversifying the understory will have Mom’s Orchard a thriving food forest for generations to come.
EEC Forest Stewardship 