Backyard orchard takes plan

Q. I would like to start a backyard orchard and plant Honeycrisp apples. How do I get started?

Jim from Boardman

A. Starting a home orchard is not as easy as you might think, but it is manageable. It can be rewarding, but you must invest money and time to make it all happen.

Having a well-written plan is the best place to start. Most gardeners simply buy the cultivar of apple or peach available at the local garden center or big box store. This is the first mistake that can cost you years of low production and frustration.

Selecting the proper apple cultivar is the most important step. Most gardeners have observed an older crabapple tree which lost all or most of its leaves before Labor Day. This should not happen. The leaves fell due to spots on their leaves – the dreaded apple scab disease.

Apple scab reinfects trees each year by surviving on debris left on the ground from last year’s foliage. As spores develop on this plant debris in spring, the disease quickly spreads to the new flower buds and foliage by way of the wind.

The good news, though, is that there are apple scab-resistant cultivars. Planting these cultivars gets you past the worst disease there is and onto other aspects of care for the apple tree. Although you may love Honeycrisp apples, the cultivar they come from is not resistant to apple scab. Some resistant varieties include the popular Gold Rush, Enterprise, Jonafree and Liberty.

Other important steps to take before starting include site selection, soil testing, proper drainage and planting of a different companion apple/crabapple cultivar that blooms at the same time, to name just a few.

Each year we host fruit tree pruning clinics throughout the Mahoning Valley. We will help you plan your home orchard at these events. Call our office to be put on the email list to be notified of the events, or learn to make your own plan at http://go.osu.edu/growapples.

Eric Barrett is OSU Extension educator for agriculture and natural resources in Mahoning County. Call the office hot line at 330-533-5538 to submit your questions. Clinic hours vary this time of year due to the winter season.