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Planting an orchard from scratch

From choosing stock to storing the crop — the whole arc of putting fruit trees in the ground.

Growing·Trees
  1. 01
    Bundles of bare-root whips beside containerised trees at a nursery
    Growing№ 3215 min

    Nursery Stock: Choosing Trees That Will Actually Establish

    Bare-root against containerised, why smaller trees overtake bigger ones, and the root defects that condemn a tree before it leaves the nursery.

  2. 02
    A whip and tongue graft bound with tape, cambium layers aligned
    Growing№ 1936 min

    Grafting and Rootstocks: Choosing the Tree Beneath the Tree

    Why every orchard apple is two plants, how rootstock decides final size and soil tolerance, and the four grafts worth learning.

  3. 03
    A young bare-root tree being planted with the root flare level with the surrounding soil
    Growing№ 4985 min

    Planting a Tree: The First Hour Decides the First Decade

    Hole preparation, root flare depth, backfill, watering in, and the staking mistakes that kill more young trees than drought ever does.

  4. 04
    Ripening apples on a trained tree in a mixed orchard
    Trees№ 0177 min

    Apples and Pears: The Pome Fruits

    Pollination groups, rootstock choice, disease-resistant varieties, and why the tree you buy is always a clone on borrowed roots.

  5. 05
    Ripening plums and cherries on the branch in a mixed stone fruit orchard
    Trees№ 4636 min

    Stone Fruit: Plums, Cherries, Peaches, Apricots

    The Prunus crops — why they are pruned in summer only, how they fruit on young wood, and the frost timing that decides the crop.

  6. 06
    A mature espaliered pear with horizontal tiers trained against a brick wall
    Growing№ 1546 min

    Espalier and Training: Fruit in Two Dimensions

    Cordons, fans, and espaliers — how trained forms fit a full crop into no ground space, ripen earlier, and make everything easier to reach.

  7. 07
    Clean pruning cut on a fruit tree branch showing proper technique
    Growing№ 3725 min

    Pruning Basics: When, Why, and How

    A practical guide to pruning fruit, ornamental, and forest trees, covering timing, technique, and the biology behind every cut.

  8. 08
    An old apple tree with mossy bark, freshly pruned of dead wood, sunlight reaching through the opened canopy
    Growing№ 0065 min

    Aged Orchard Rejuvenation: The Five-Year Return

    How to bring a neglected fruit orchard back to bearing without killing the trees. A five-year plan built on patience, sharp tools, and the 25 percent rule.

  9. 09
    Apples laid out in slatted wooden trays and cured onions hanging in a cool store
    Growing№ 2087 min

    Harvest and Storage: Keeping What You Grew

    Picking at the right stage, curing what needs curing, and the four storage conditions that decide whether a crop lasts a week or eight months.

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