Our Orchard

Starting Our Orchard:

In the past, we’ve always gotten fruit from my aunt and uncle and my parents to put up (freeze, jams, jellies, dry), when they had extra.

On the first day of Spring, March 21, (2010) what a great day to start…we started “our orchard.”  My parents had seven peach tree saplings that had sprouted a few years ago in their flowerbed from some pits they had thrown out after canning peaches.  We took them home and planted them in a small field in the front of our house.

That is when we had an idea.  “Let’s plant an orchard on our homestead!”

The very next day, my husband did some measuring, and we mapped out where we want the orchard. Then we scoured the many nursery catalogs we receive, and made a plan. I am so excited!

The plan:

 1 crab apple tree (Firecracker)

 3 different varieties of dwarf apple trees (Honeycrisp, Red McIntosh, and Cortland)

 2 varieties of dwarf cherry trees (Hardy North Star and Black Gold)

 1 regular cherry tree (Danube)

 2 Pawpaw trees (Taytwo)

2 dwarf pear trees (Bartlett and Karl’s Favorite)

1 plum tree (Pipestone Hardy)

1 dwarf plum tree (Mount Royal Hardy)

1 Russian Quince.

Whew!  These trees were now all on order along with some berry bushes (current, gooseberry, blackberry, and raspberry).  In all we will have 21 trees and 19 bushes to plant.

I love fresh fruit. We will have such a delicious variety. I am looking forward to picking our very own fruit and canning, drying, freezing, and cooking with it. 

Now, I just hoped they didn’t come in all at once!

Follow our homesteading journey in our orchard!

The Trees and Bushes Come In!

How to Plant a Fruit Tree