Growing a Pear Orchard at an Organic Farm School to Increase Supply and Demand for Organic Tree Fruit in St. Louis, MO

Growing a Pear Orchard at an Organic Farm School to Increase Supply and Demand for Organic Tree Fruit in St. Louis, MO

Summary

In 2014, EarthDance began work on its SARE Project, “Growing a Pear Orchard at an Organic Farm School.” In our proposal, we stated that “EarthDance proposes to install a half-acre pear orchard at our Organic Farm School in St. Louis, MO, in order educate other local growers about best practices in sustainable orchard production, and thus address the insufficient supply of local, sustainably produced fruit in St. Louis.”

Since submitting our grant proposal, EarthDance staff learned much more about best practices in organic orchards, as well as investigating alley cropping, a technique for maximizing growing space between rows of tree crops. Initially, we planned to grow only pears in our orchard, which we envisioned as being isolated from our vegetable fields. Upon further consultation with project advisor Guy Ames, we amended the plan for the orchard to include other species. Ames explained that by distributing apples, tart cherries, pawpaws, and various other native fruit and nut tree at a smaller stocking rate throughout the orchard, we will decrease the risk that fireblight will affect one tree, then spread to many others. This seemed like an intelligent change to make to our original plan, since fireblight is one of the primary reasons that organic pears are scarce in the Midwest.

In February, EarthDance staff visited the MOSES (Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service) Conference, where we learned from Permaculture Farmer Mark Shepard about his own mixed fruit and nut growing operation, integrated with silvopasture and perennial herbs and vegetable crops. During one of his presentations, he showed slides of a cherry farm that had begun growing lettuce between rows of trees; lettuce had become a bigger source of income than cherries. This inspired EarthDance’s Farmers to consider integrating the orchard with our field crops.

Shepard, also a permaculture water management expert, later visited EarthDance to conduct a workshop on farm-scale permaculture. As part of the weekend workshop, Shepard helped EarthDance determine our “keypoint” for watershed on the farm, and how to create a system of swales (water holding ditches) and berms throughout the several acres of our primary production areas. The swales slow the path of storm water, allowing more water to percolate deeply into the soil. Shepard suggested that we plant our trees, then all in a nursery area, along the berms, to allow the trees to benefit from the additional water in the area just below the swales, and to reduce our irrigation costs. After long consideration, this plan was adopted. Shepard explained that through the use of a tractor attachment called a subsoiler, you can control the spread of tree roots, to train them downward, rather than outward. This way, the roots will not compete and interfere with our annual vegetables. Though we assume that as the trees mature, we will lose a little production capacity to shade, we strongly believe that the plan will maximize productive growing space on the farm.

The swales (14 of them, running several hundred feet across, each 80 feet down from the one above it) are now complete. We waited until the end of our annual growing season outside, in order to preserve beds that were already allocated and/or full of vegetable crops. In November of 2014, EarthDance farmers began transferring 80+ trees to their permanent location. Assistant Farm Manager Matt Lebon created a planting sequence of species that mixes various European and Asian pears, as well as a smaller number of apples, natives, cherry trees, and pawpaws.

EarthDance is thrilled by the adjustments we have made to our original plan. Though we are proceeding with the original number of pear trees (60), we have transformed our plan from a segregated pear orchard to a mixed orchard, integrated with vegetable crops. We are confident that this altered plan will make the orchard more resilient against disease, and the farmscape more beautiful. EarthDance sees this latter aspect as a huge benefit, since agri-tourism is a significant aspect of EarthDance’s model for economic sustainability.

Objectives/Performance Targets

Objective 1: Conduct a survey of businesses that purchase produce, to learn about market demand for more local and/or organic fruit.  Performance target: 25 responses.  Thus far, we have recieved 14 responses.  We will continue to solicit more.  Preliminary results indicate that 92% of buyers would like to purchase more locally grown fruit.  

Objective 2: Procure, plant and tend pear trees.  Performance target: Purchase 30 trees, graft 32. 30 Trees purchased thus far, over 100 grafted.  Over-target trees will be maintained in a nursery, and sold in 2015. 

Objective 3: Host two workshops; one on orchard establishment, and one on grafting trees. Performance target:25-50 growers at each session.  In January of 2014, EarthDance hosted a grafting workshop conducted by Guy Ames, attended by 33 growers, in addition to four EarthDance staff members. 

Objective 4:  Write a report on the project that will include updated budgets, planting and maintenance guide, varietal recommendations, and supply guide.  Performance target:  1 completed, published report at the conclusion of the project. Not yet written. 

Accomplishments/Milestones

January 2014: EarthDance hosted fruit grafting/organic fruit production workshop led by Guy Ames, to great response.  All 33 participants practiced grafting between 2-5 trees during the class, and each took home 2 grafted trees.  Nearly all participants reported in feedback forms that the workshop was “Good” or “Excellent.”  Many reported that the most helpful aspect of the class was either Guy’s detailed recommendations for cultivars that thrive in lower-Midwestern conditions, or the hands-on grafting practice.  See attached upload to view footage of the workshop.

In April of 2014, EarthDance staff planted the purchased and grafted trees in nursery, awaiting finalization of orchard planting plan. May-November, 732 individuals toured EarthDance farm, and each spent time viewing the nursery, learning a little bit about the challenges of organic fruit production, and hearing EarthDance’s plans for a mixed-fruit permaculture orchard. EarthDance’s 30 apprentices in the Farm & Garden Apprenticeship and 8 members of the Junior Farm Crew also tended the nursery and learned about this production strategy.

In November of 2014, EarthDance staff defoliated the nursery trees and began replanting young trees in their final location. 

In Spring of 2015, EarthDance will complete the orchard planting with the addition of pawpaw and tart cherry trees.

• Fruit Production Workshop with Guy Ames

Collaborators: