Are you ready to plant an orchard but feel overwhelmed by all of the required steps?
There are many great benefits to having an orchard. Not only will you be able to enjoy the beauty of having flowering fruit trees, but you’ll also have an abundance of fruits to eat and sell. The problem is that it can be difficult to start an orchard if you’re not familiar with the right tips and techniques.
Thankfully there are several easy things that you can start doing today in order to make sure that your orchard planting will be successful. Read on and we’ll tell you what you need to know.
The Basics of What Is a Fruit Orchard
A fruit orchard is a grove or group of trees that grow fruits such as pears, plums, cherries, and apricots. Some people have simple orchards to supply their families with food, while others have commercial orchards for selling fruits to others.
There are some commercial orchards that charge visitors a small fee to come and pick their own fruit. There are others that distribute their fruit to other parts of their state or across the country.
Choose the Right Orchard Planting Site
Before you start to plan things like what fruit trees you want to plant and your orchard planting pattern, you first need to find the right place for your orchard.
The first thing that you should look for is a place that has fertile soil which is well-drained. This location should also get plenty of sun. This is why you should reconsider planting an orchard on a piece of land that’s tucked against a mountainside. You should look instead for a wide-open location that gets sun from the morning until the evening.
With this being said, you should also avoid locations that are often hit by strong winds or are prone to accumulating frost. The reason for this is that your fruit trees won’t grow well under extreme conditions. You, therefore, want to avoid situations where they’ll be put under stress from the elements.
If you live in the far North, it’s also important that you don’t plant fruit trees that flower too early. Even though it’s exciting to have trees on your land that produce fruits early, you also don’t want to take the risk of losing these fruits if a late frost comes. It’s, therefore, a better idea to play it safe by only planting trees that will flower after the frosts have passed.
Know How Many Trees You Want to Plant
In order to know how many trees to plant on your orchard, you should have a clear idea of why you’re starting an orchard. If you’ll simply be growing fruits for your family, it’s a good idea to start by planting just a few trees. Along with providing you with fruit, there are many other benefits to planting trees on your land.
Though it can be tempting to fill your land with fruit trees, it’s possible that you’ll feel overwhelmed once the trees start to mature. Trees need a lot of care and attention in order to be healthy.
If you realize, after planting many trees, that you’re not able to care for them, you risk wasting a lot of time and money. It’s also very sad to see trees you’ve planted wither away because there’s nobody there to care for them.
If your goal is to create a business by selling fruit from your orchard around your community or around the country, then you’re going to have to plant a lot of trees. You’re also going to need to invest in lots of equipment and supplies. If you don’t already have a team of workers, it will also be a good idea to start hiring people to help you out.
Know the Cost for Starting an Orchard
There are many variables to take into account when you’re figuring out how much it will cost to start an orchard. Every type of fruit tree has different needs and different required input costs in order to produce quality fruit. You also need to know things like what quality of soil you’ll be planting in if you will need an irrigation system or not, and how many workers you will need on your orchard.
As a general rule, you should expect to pay between ten and fifty dollars per tree that you plant. On top of this, you need to set aside money for things like soil amendments and sprays for your trees.
How to Plant an Orchard
Before you start making plans to plant your orchard, it’s important for you to know that there are many different possible orchard layouts. There is no single layout that will be best for every orchard. Some of the most popular orchard layouts include single lines, squares, contour or terrace, and hexagons.
When deciding what trees to plant, keep in mind that citrus trees require subtropical conditions in order to thrive. It is therefore not worth planting them if you live in the far north. If you live in this part of the world, you should instead choose to plant trees that have shorter growing seasons.
Plant your trees early in the year so that they have time during their first year to get plenty of sunlight. Before you plant your trees, be sure to prepare the soil. You should also consider putting up a tall fence to keep creatures such as deer away from the trees.
Get Started With Orchard Planting Today
Having a fruit orchard can be a rewarding experience for anybody who loves gardening and farming. Before you get started, make sure that you make the right plans. You should also know why you want to plant an orchard and how much time and money you have to invest.
If you want to find out more about orchard planting, we’re here to help with anything that you might need. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.