All of our fruit trees have been planted! We used the high-density planting method that I’ve briefly described in the past. I thought I would spell it out more clearly now, including our personal details (with our own photos to be added later this week – I promise).

Also known as Backyard Orchard Culture, this is a method of planting that uses the least amount of space and creates a succession of yield times. It’s not for commercial growers (although don’t ask me why – ability to harvest with tractors maybe?); it’s specifically used for small lots and family gardens.

The idea is to plant fruit trees close together (hence the ”high-density planting” ) and prune to the desired shape or size. Some people choose to espalier against a wall so that their tree only takes up a width of 2 or so feet. Others will plant a hedge to create a type of wall or barrier. We chose to plant our trees in one hole – our original idea being 4 to a hole but changing that to 3 to a hole when we moved our pomegranates to the front yard (lesson #1). Our high-density holes are about 10 feet apart and each tree in the hole is at least 18 inches for the trees next to it and angled ever-so-slightly outwards (to give the trunks room to grow). The pomegranates in the front will be trained against the wall (espalier style but bushier).

When you plant using the Backyard Orchard Culture, your first job becomes pruning. Thirty-foot trees work well for commercial growers with giant machines but not so well for Mom ‘N Pop. Planting all the trees in the same hole will stunt their height to an extent but to control it further some serious pruning is in order. And in regards to container trees and espalier trees, pruning is even more important. We plan to allow our trees to get about 7-8 ft tall; a height easily managed without the use of anything more than a step ladder for me or a stretch for Justin to harvest.

When choosing the trees, you want to choose self-pollinating varieties to eliminate the need to plant two or more of the same type of tree (which will take up more space then available). You also want to choose trees that will ripen successively to have a continuous harvest. We will have apricots in May-June, plums in late June, peaches and apples in July, nectarines in August, more apples in September and pomegranates throughout the fall.

To have an idea of what you can grow in your own tiny space, I borrowed this photo from BayLaurelNursery.com (not only the supplier of our fruit trees, they also have more detailed instructions on their site):

Isn’t it awesome?? Using these methods, even the tiniest of yards and patios (like you find here in Vegas!) can hold at least one tree or more depending on your creativity. We’ll be growing 7 different varieties on 8 trees in just over 200 sq ft. Excited!!

1. Remember when I talked up the coolness of the high-density backyard orchard? When I exalted over the coolness of planting four fruit trees to a hole and congratulated myself on a job well-finished? (Or did I forget to post all that?)

Hmph. I did know pomegranates were big and bushy, more like a shrub. But I had read (and trusted) that a pomegranate can be trained into a tree-like shape and therefore assumed it would work well in my high-density orchard. Well, come to find out, while they can be pruned to look like a tree, that will greatly reduce the amount of fruit they will bear. The advice was to move those suckers while they were still dormant.

Talk about messing with my plans. The only other location they can go is in our front yard, up against the brick wall. New holes dug, more drainage tests (without any mishaps this time), one transplanted already and the other to be transplanted this week. This new location will take up some of the space that was intended for corn but we’ll make do. Gotta have my pomegranates after all.

2.In other news, my laptop is being sent back to me *not repaired*. They were talking about calling it a “lemon” and sending me a new one but silly me didn’t back anything up. @#*$@&

I know I’m an unschooling advocate and all, but must *everything* I do apply to the “Live and Learn” motto??