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Qverview of Seasonal Deciduous Fruit Tree Care from Orchard Keepers
Winter: Prune & train - Spray if needed - Plant new trees - Top dress (mulch) and set up irrigation
Spring: Thin Fruit - Train young trees - Supplemental feeding if necessary - Start watering before the soil dries out - Keep an eye out for pest infestations
Summer: Harvest - Prune after Aug. 1st and before the end of September to calm down an overly vigorous tree - Watch out for insect infestations and take appropriate actions
Fall: Harvest - Orchard floor clean-up - Sow cover crops - Plan where to plant more trees
Great concise information on Fruit Trees and Vines from Orchard Keepers - http://www.orchardkeepers.com/learn/
Includes tips on planting a tree, watering and care for different types of trees and vines. Also shares good information on pests and disease.
School Orchard Observations
What to consider when planting fruit trees in school gardens
Basics of Choosing and Planting a Fruit Tree
https://learn.eartheasy.com/guides/fruit-trees/#plantingfruit
Common Vision School Orchard Resources http://commonvision.org/resources/care/
The majority of the orchards planted in Watsonville school gardens were installed by Common Vision. A project of past UCSC student, Michael Levy started his vision by recruiting young dreaded, drumming - some may say hippies, to travel up and down the CA coast in brightly colored veggie powered school busses. They'd arrive a school sites for drum circles and the lead tree planting sessions. This evolved into a year round care program and now Common Vision focuses their work in Oakland school gardens. Kind of like Johnny Apple seed leaving thousands of trees across the golden state. See Ohlone's School Orchard video from 2010 https://commonvision.org/blog/?tag=Ohlone%20Elementary and all their videos cause the are fun https://commonvision.org/blog/?category=Fruit%20Tree%20TV
Ideas to Engage Students in Orchard Care
Composting and Mulching
Trees benefit to having a nice layer of mulch to outcompete weeds and retain moisture. In the spring, pull back irrigation if possible, weed around the tree at least a 3 ft radius, add a layer of compost and then cover with a layer of straw mulch or wood chips. Read Tending Fruit Trees - A Template for Success https://agroecology.ucsc.edu/documents/for-the-fruit-grower/tending-trees.pdf for more details on mulching
Tree Fertilization and Mulching with Kids
Lead upper elementary aged students on measuring a tree to determine the proper amount of fertilizer, then feed and mulch tree.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pZJ2egBmjNJ9_wJom60mTmcWanJfm04c6Rmnj9SBCRI/edit
Deciduous Fruit Tree Observation and Fruit Thinning
Observe a tree over a couple months as the tree transitions from dormancy to fruiting. Observation prompts for small groups of upper elementary aged students to observe a few buds of a marked section of a deciduous fruit tree.
Observation Prompts - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rth7N7tHi7QAuj9KOIl-stOl5DmKebHRkzu_ITxACXY/edit
See this concept explained in 90 second section of this video https://youtu.be/-BO74B1O4_c?t=312
Learn about fruit tree thinning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAoU39NM458&list=PLdNOdHei9NV3PPrqRbOFSC8_h5n9iXSJd&index=7
Cover Cropping and Chopping
Follow steps like these to have students apply Bell Bean cover crop seed in the fall, water in well. https://docs.google.com/document/d/17xFDvveiq9cW-CedrQv2thyrfjHCfbH9ocXkRb9tdwg/edit?usp=sharing
In the spring when your Bell Bean stocks are at about 50% of flowering have kids use hand shears or scissors to chop up bell bean cover crop in to 1-2 inch pieces, scratch into soil and then cover with compost and straw mulch. Using handshears or scissors is in-efficient by design . To
"For the Gardener" Tip Sheets and Articles from the UCSC Farm
Visit this page to find the following https://agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/publications/for_the_gardener.html
Adding Cane Berries to the Home GardenDescribes how to site, select, plant, and care for blackberries, raspberries, and other cane berry varieties in the home garden (3 pages).
Apple Trees for Every Garden Describes apple rootstocks, training and pruning systems that can be used by backyard gardeners to establish an orchard in a limited space. Includes information on planting, fertility and rootstock characteristics.
Selecting, Growing, and Ripening European Pears Describes some favorite pear varieties and how to grow and ripen them.
Choosing and Growing Stone Fruits Discusses the various types of stone fruits (peaches, apricots, etc.) and some good choices for the home garden, along with growing requirements and cultural advice.
Citrus Offers Year-Round Options Describes the wide range of citrus available and how to plant and care for it.
Reliable Fruit Tree Varieties for Santa Cruz County Information on fruit trees that perform well in the Santa Cruz region.
Scion Basics Defines scions (the fruit-bearing portion of the tree), their origins, and their contributions to both fruit characteristics and the tree's growth habits.
Rootstock Basics Defines rootstocks and the role they play in controlling various characteristics of fruit trees. Lists the characteristics and features of different types of apple, pear, and stone fruit rootstocks.
Selecting and Planting Bare Root Fruit Trees Information on how to select and plant bare root fruit trees, including sources for bare root trees.
Tending Fruit Trees - A Template for Success Discusses the periods when it’s critical to have nutrients available to fruit trees, and some approaches for meeting those nutrient needs. Includes specific amendment recommendations. Discusses mulching a tree.
Summer Fruit Tree Pruning Discusses the periods when it’s critical to have nutrients available to fruit trees, and some approaches for meeting those nutrient needs. Includes specific amendment recommendations.
Go Deeper on Fruit Tree Learning
Become an expert with these hours of fruit tree care videos from the UCSC Farm
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdNOdHei9NV3PPrqRbOFSC8_h5n9iXSJd
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9iaUJc_5ds Pruning Tools Overview 4:36
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_-f610rFEU Fruit Tree Structure and Pruning Cuts 19:10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm3VfEljBg0 Fruit Tree Open Center and Central Leader Structure
Fruit Trees for Every Garden by Orin Martin
https://agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/publications/fruit-trees-for-every-garden.html
University of California - The California Backyard Orchard - extensive website
https://homeorchard.ucanr.edu/index.cfm
California Rare Fruit Growers - it is incredible how many different fruits can be grown in CA
Backyard Orchard Culture - Ideas on growing smaller trees suitable for home gardens (and schools)
https://www.davewilson.com/home-garden/backyard-orchard-culture/
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