The Grounded Orchardist

There are lots of benefits gained from growing your own fruit trees. As it’s the perfect time to buy your new bare root trees. I thought I would talk about why you should plant some.

Now I just want to quickly mention that when I speak about orchards, it doesn’t have to mean acres of land. An orchard is technically five trees or more but any information I write in this blog can be applied to one or two trees.

So, why should you plant fruit trees?

Fresh produce

The easy and perhaps most obvious answer is, you would like to eat your own fruit. Growing your own gives you the option to choose more or less the varieties you and your family would like to eat. Rather than being stuck with the choice of a few from the supermarket. If you choose to grow using organic principles. You can trace the fruit back and know there are no chemicals. You can pick the fruit at the optimum time of ripeness.

You may want to simply be a little more self sufficient. Cutting back on your food miles.

Or, perhaps you just want it as an added extra for wildlife in your garden.

Ecosystem and biodiversity

Orchards are classed as priority habitats. A statement that seems quite bizarre as they are declining.

The amount of wildlife that gravitates to them is fascinating and as the trees get older, your habitat gets better and better. I see lots of different insects and scores of birds. It doesn’t always mean they make home here, some just land to rest for an hour as they fly off to hibernate…hopefully snacking on a few pests, and they do this every year. There’s also mammals of all kinds, some are pests and barriers may be needed but they’re still a part of that biodiversity.

Then there’s the unseen. The life underground, the macro down to the microscopic level. Mammals, slugs, bugs, mycelium and bacteria all helping aeration and decomposition which in turn adds to healthy soil for our trees to thrive in.

Family and community

With the fantastic rise in community orchards around the UK orchards bring people together. It’s an environment that helps people from all walks of life come together for that final goal.

It’s also a great way for children to learn about the natural world and where their food comes from. They love to get involved and pick an apple or squash it into juice.

Mental health and wellbeing

It’s well documented that being outside is good for our mental health and wellbeing. Not all of us can sit still and just enjoy being outside unless there’s something to do….sadly, I’m one of those!

The lovely thing about looking after fruit trees is that you really get to see and enjoy the four seasons. Personally I appreciate this a lot. The bareness of winter, the beauty of spring blossom, the fruit in summer and the transition in autumn as the trees prepare for winter again. Each season change lifts my spirits.

But, I dont have acres of land

As mentioned above, an orchard can be five trees. If you only have space for one, do your research and put in one. You have the choice of a variety of rootstocks so you can put a tree in almost any space.

You could think about training your tree into an espalier to put against a wall or trellis, you could train over an arch.

So, there is a tree for virtually every space. Whether you are planting acres of orchard, or a tree or two in your garden, and now is the perfect time to buy your bare root trees.