[Community_garden] Questions on urban orchard and garden at college

Mon Dec 3 08:38:56 EST 2007

How about espaliering fruit trees - more labor intensive initially but pest and diseases are easier to manage as is general maintenance and harvesting.  I know fruit trees are a pain but I love them and when it comes time to harvest the fruit all the work is worth it. 

  If your growing area isn't fenced in it is reasonable to expect to lose produce to people - in the city you can't have a vegetable garden without a fence - there would be little left for the gardeners to harvest.  A university setting might be different but I suspect not as much as one might think.  And I have witnessed the neighborhood youth pitching the apples from the few trees growing in the sidewalks - mostly the apples are eaten by individuals in the community but they do make enticing objects for the youth to throw at each other.  I would say more get eaten then used for entertainment though.

  Good luck - it sounds like a great project!

  Ann
  Community Gardens Manager
  DE Center for Horticulture
  Wilmington, Delaware
Mike McGrath <MikeMcG at PTD.net> wrote:
  I like the kiwi vine idea a lot....
---McG
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Steven Garrett 
To: Mike McGrath ; Brian Noy ; community_garden at list.communitygarden.org ; COMGAR-L at lists.umn.edu 
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007 5:40 PM
Subject: Questions on urban orchard and garden at college

I generally agree with Mike, but I would add the caveat that it may depend on the type of tree and its suitability to the local climate and pest conditions. Due to the humid, short and warm summers found in Minneapolis, I would doubt that the trees mentioned in the email below (apple, pear, peach, cherries) can be grown organically there very easily. On the other hand, Mulberry trees seem to grow real well in Minneapolis. I saw them growing well in parks where they surely receive no special agronomic attention. Don't Paw-Paw trees come from that area?

As for the moist maritime climate of the Puget Sound where I live, those common trees don't generally do well here either. Italian Prune trees grow great as do some cherries; if you can get the fruit before the birds and squirrels. Apples, on the other hand, are extremely problematic. I would not recommended them here for communally gardened areas, since they require a lot of care (like individually bagging each apple to thwart apple maggot). Maybe instead of trees, people can think of vines. Kiwis, both hardy and fuzzy grow extremely well here. I generally get around 75-150 pounds off of my one vine (actually 2; male and female). All they seem to need is compost and a good pruning to get last years vines off. Many grapes do real well here, too. And they provide great shade. The hardy kiwi can grow in Minnesota and I expect some grapes could too.
Steven

1) Tree fruits are VERY hard to grow well, especially organically; and yes, 
dropped fruits invite vermin. Speaking of which:
2) I strongly suggest a sturdy fence to keep the large two-legged types out.
---Mike McG

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Brian Noy" 

To: ; 
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007 2:22 PM
Subject: [Community_garden] Questions on urban orchard and garden at college

> Augsburg College, a liberal arts college of around 3,000 students in the
> heart of Minneapolis will be showing our agrarian side this coming summer.
> We'll be:
>
> - creating a community garden on a large piece of vacant land. Plots will 
> be
> distributed to staff and faculty to incorporate into classes, to 
> neighbors,
> and to community organizations. The space is well lit and on
> - planting orchard trees (apple, maybe pear, peach, cherry) in various
> spaces
> - food from these sources will feed the caretakers, as well as others
> through the Campus Kitchen community kitchen program (
> www.augsburg.edu/campuskitchen)
>
> Questions we have:
>
> - What are some problems that may be associated with fruit trees? Using
> apples as ammunition? Attracting mischievous folks into the garden if the
> trees are embedded within the garden? Rotten fruit attracting pests? Does
> any one have examples that either support or (hopefully) disprove these
> concerns? Any Twin Cities fruit tree experts want to consult for us?
> - What are the benefits and limitations of having fences? Living fences
> (shrubs, raspberries, etc) versus something chicken wire? For those 
> reading
> this locally, can we expect problems with rabbits and raccoons? Can we
> expect problems with unwelcome human neighbors?
>
> Any wisdom is appreciated. Answers in voice are welcome as well, if you'd
> like to call one of the numbers below. Thanks in advance!
>
> ~Brian
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