The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist

569 Pages·2005·11.65 MB·English

by  Michael Phillips

THE
Apple Grower
THE
Apple Grower
A Guide for the
Organic Orchardist
MICHAEL PHILLIPS
REVISED AND EXPANDED EDITION
CHELSEA GREEN PUBLISHING COMPANY
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VERMONT
Copyright © 2005 Michael Phillips. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form by any means without permission in
writing from the publisher.
Managing Editor: Marcy Brant
Developmental Editor: Ben Watson
Copy Editor: Laura Jorstad
Proofreader: Nancy Ringer
Indexer: Daniel E. Brannen Jr.
Designer: Peter Holm, Sterling Hill Productions
Design Assistant: Daria Hoak, Sterling Hill Productions
Photographs credited to NRAES are reproduced with permission from the Mid-Atlantic Orchard Monitoring
Guide, NRAES-75, published by NRAES, the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service,
Cooperative Extension, 152 Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, New York 14853, [phone].
Photographs credited to NYSAES appear courtesy of the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station,
630 W. North St. Geneva, NY 14456, [phone].
All illustrations by Elayne Sears unless otherwise noted.
Recycled Paper
Chelsea Green sees publishing as a tool for cultural change and ecological stewardship. We strive to align
our book manufacturing practices with our editorial mission, and to reduce the impact of our business
enterprise on the environment. We print our books and catalogs on chlorine-free recycled paper, using
soy-based inks, whenever possible. Chelsea Green is a member of the Green Press Initiative
(www.greenpressinitiative.org,) a nonprofit coalition of publishers, manufacturers, and authors working
to protect the world’s endangered forests and conserve natural resources. The Apple Grower was printed
on New Life Satin White, a 30 percent post-consumer-waste recycled, old-growth-forest-free paper
supplied by Quebecor.
Printed in the United States
First printing, October 2005
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Phillips, Michael, 1957
The apple grower : a guide for the organic orchardist / Michael
Phillips.— Rev. and expanded ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
eBook ISBN: 978-1-6035-8132-5
1. Apples—United States. 2. Organic farming—United States. 3. Apples.
4. Organic farming. I. Title.
SB363.2.U6P48 2005
634'.1184--dc22
2005022386
Chelsea Green Publishing Company
Post Office Box 428
White River Junction, VT 05001
[phone]
www.chelseagreen.com
To my grandfather Arthur Llewellyn Phillips,
Who had a community market orchard before I was born.
To my dad, Robert Arthur Phillips,
I so wish you could still be here to help pick the apples.
And lastly, to an Inspiration, Ron Prokopy,
Who helped teach apple growers how to think about bugs.
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER ONE
Growing Apples Locally
Apple Growing a Hundred Years Ago
Today’s Integrated Pest Management
Bringing It All Together
Conventional Wisdom
The Small Commercial Orchard in Context
CHAPTER TWO
The Orchard Site and Its Climate
Sacred Slopes
The Four Points of the Compass
Dry Ground
Zone Hardiness
Windbreaks
Biodiversity in a Fruit Orchard
Proximity to Markets
CHAPTER THREE
The Enriching of Fruit Lands
The Living Soil
Compost Forever
Soil Amendments
Foliar Feeding
Biodynamic Teachings
Cover Cropping
Ponderable Mulch
Soil Tests and Leaf Analysis
Trace Minerals for Every Tree
CHAPTER FOUR
The Trees and the Planting
Cultivar Selection
Rootstocks and Tree Spacing
Nursery Sources and Varietal Collectors
Grafting and Propagation
The Setting of the Trees
Orchard Size and Layout
High-Density Plantings
Down to the Nitty-Gritty
CHAPTER FIVE
Care of the Orchard
Intuitive Pruning
Training the Apple Tree
Pollination and Fruit Set
Frost Protection
Thinning the Fruit
The Great Grass Debate
Mowing Options
Summer Care
Preparing for Winter
Restoring Neglected Orchards
CHAPTER SIX
Apple Pests and Diseases
The Beginning of Understanding
Good-bye, Foliar Pests
Insect Identification
Bug-by-Bug Profiles
Beneficial Insects
Good Sanitation
Fungal Diseases
Other Diseases of the Apple
Four-Legged Considerations
CHAPTER SEVEN
Spraying for Balance
The Complexities of Nature
All the Answers Aren’t Known, but We’re Gaining
Timing Is Everything
The Orchard Calendar
Botanicals, Elementals, and Forbidden Fruit
Gentler Sprays
Spray Equipment for the Small Commercial Orchard
Matters of Concern
CHAPTER EIGHT
Reaping the Harvest
When to Pick
Harvest Equipment
The Apple Picker’s Reel
Hiring Help
Windfalls and Fat Sheep
From Orchard to Packing Shed
Grading Revisited
Cider Making
The Juice of the Apple
Apple Storage
CHAPTER NINE
Marketing in the Local Economy
Getting a Fair Price
Apple Economics
Niche Marketing
Value-Added Products
Quality and Appearance
Organic Certification
Advertising
Marketing Innovations
Long-Term Vision
CHAPTER TEN
The Last Organic Frontier
The Sustainable Orchard
Tree Spirit, Community Spirit
Organic Perseverance
Here We Come a-Wassailing
Esopus Spitzenberg and a Better Tomorrow
APPENDIX 1 Compendium of Orchard Tasks
APPENDIX 2 Apple Grower’s Source List
APPENDIX 3 Lost Nation Apple Recipes
APPENDIX 4 Bibliography