Hi folks,
First off, thanks to all of you for the wealth of information you pour into these pages. It's a huge help for folks like me, lurking in the background and exploring the world of perennial fruit production.
I'm a certified organic commercial market farmer in SE Hillsboro -- 24 acres just inside the urban growth boundary -- and I'm looking to expand my very small orchard. We currently cultivate +/- four acres of annual vegetables, a relatively small raspberry patch, and a smattering of 50+ year old trees, including gravensteins, grimes goldens, bartlett and bosc pears, brooks and greengage plums, and a massive concord grape that is large enough to qualify as a tree. I also raise chickens (layers and broilers), lamb and pigs on pasture and wood lot.
I have been looking to tilt the farm production into a more balanced load of annual and perennial production (including possibly some u-pick given the density around us). I have been reading extensively on permaculture orchard design and other guides, but I would LOVE some guidance from local folks with local experience. I'd be happy to trade produce or meat for your time. To add to equation, I recently traded some pork to a nurseryman, and I have some money to spend for trees! I have close to half an acre tilled and amended and ready for potential fall planting.
Thanks in advance for anyone who might have the time and energy to spare! Feel free to contact me directly if you'd like.
Thanks and take care,
Justin
Working Theory Farm
Hillsboro, OR
Justin,
Welcome to the forum. You might enjoy the All About Fruit Show we're putting on out in Canby at the Clackamas County Fairgrounds this weekend. Its a chance to taste as many as you can of hundreds of varieties of fruit, listen to talks, and ask advice about growing fruit trees.
I'm the guy who sold you, and dropped off, the rusty 3-point boom last year.
John Saltveit, the speaker on Sunday and regular poster here, will be giving a talk at 12:30. He's very into permaculture, although on his suburban lot.
I concur with Jafar, I think you would enjoy the fruit show. Be prepared to make some notes on the varieties that you like. I use a google spreadsheet on my phone.
The show can be overwhelming due to the huge number of varieties available. I tend to focus on one fruit per year, e.g. last year I tried all 100 grape varieties. I would allocate two years for apples, I think they have close to 300 varieties. I also look for disease resistance, i.e. if a variety is covered in scab, I will skip that one.
Here is a book that I found helpful: https://books.google.com/books.....38;f=false
I am not a farmer, I just have a half acre backyard that I have mostly converted to a permaculture food forest/forest garden. I have about 200 varieties of edible and native perennial plants, and I am always adding and removing plants. I tend to overplant, then remove the plants that are unhappy or that i dont like. Overall it is going well.
I am located in Camas, not exactly convenient, but perhaps we could chat on the phone or at the show. However most people in this forum have a lot more fruit growing experience than me.
Dave
Hi Justin,
I'm sorry I ddin't catch this post earlier. I incorporate permaculture into my orchard and have done so for a long time. You can contact me privately if you want to at skyjs@yahoo.com.
John S
PDX OR
Idyllwild
simplepress
jafar
Marsha H
Viron
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