Orchard in The High Plains with hardy fruit trees and berry bushes protected from hail storms and strong winds.
Over the years, we have harbored the dream of having a full-sized orchard complete with a good variety of fruit trees and berry bushes. Unlike vegetable plots that can be compact within the confines of suburban gardens, orchards need more space because the trees can grow large. There is also the constraint of trees casting shadows on vegetable and flower beds.
Planning The Orchard
When we acquired land for building this house, we started planning for an orchard on the leeward side of the prevalent west wind. The house provided good shelter is this respect. We also bounded the south and east sides of the property with a solid cedar fence. The latter provides good protection from the occasional south wind and foraging pronghorn and deer. These two species are especially damaging for young trees as they eat the bark off them.
Setting Up An Internal Fence
Once we moved in, we quickly realized that it was also necessary to set up a line of fence on the north side. This helps to define the orchard area separate from the rest of the yard. It will keep our family dog out of the orchard and enable us to plan the layout of the trees and bushes.
This was our first attempt at building our own fence and it was quite a learning experience. Digging the fence post holes was difficult as the soil was baked hard and dry. We purchased a gas-powered auger to dig the holes and even then, it was still quite a challenge. Each post hole needed to be at least two feet deep.
We had to set the fence posts in cement to withstand the wind load in our area.
Once the posts were set in the ground, we lined the fence perimeter with 2 x 4 inch horse fencing.
We also built two separate gates – one for foot traffic and a larger one wide enough for a tractor to pass.
Planting The Trees
In the late spring, we started to plant the fruit trees in the orchard with the help of our tractor. The front loader did the heavy lifting and the back hoe was very useful in digging holes deep enough to accommodate the root balls.
By early summer, we had a semblance of an orchard with several trees in place. We also laid down permanent irrigation lines for the trees and bushes. These are necessary for the extreme arid days of summer.
Hail Storm!
On July 27, 2022 disaster struck. On a warm afternoon, the weather suddenly changed and we were slammed with a hail storm. The 30 mph winds brought nickel-sized hail that shredded the trees in a matter of minutes and ripped open the bark in many places. The devastation stunned us into realizing that we will need serious hail protection for our trees on a large scale.
Building The Hail Protection
After reviewing what other people in different places around the world do for hail protection of trees, we embarked on this major project. For a start, we had to sink in 27 steel anchors around the orchard. Each one had to be sledgehammered three feet into the ground. Into these anchors, we inserted eight foot 4×4 posts. We bridged these posts with 2×4 studs to form a series of three curtain fences eight feet high facing west and north (general direction of summer storms).
Onto these frames, we attached half inch square hardware cloth to break any sizeable hail coming in from the side. Over the frames, we draped a large 26.2 x 50 feet hail netting to form a continuous canopy to catch hail raining from above. The netting is secured with hooks attached to the wood frames.
Berry Boxes and Landscaping Fabric
To counter the problem of birds feeding off the berries, we boxed in the bushes with frames so that we could place hardware cloth over them. One other issue that occurred during heavy thunderstorms was the deluge of water eroding the soil around the orchard. To prevent soil erosion and to block the weeds at the same time, we spread heavy landscaping fabric over the entire orchard area.
Orchard in The High Plains Taking Shape
By the end of summer of 2022, our orchard was finally taking shape. One corner of the orchard also has a Terraced Vegetable Garden.
Using the same protective system in the following year, we survived five different hail storms with all our trees and bushes unaffected. We could see the hail bouncing off the hardware cloth or getting caught by the hail netting with very few getting through to the plants. We subsequently replicated the same system at our main vegetable and Japanese gardens with similar success.
Similar Tools Used in This Orchard in The High Plains Post
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DC House 52cc 2.4HP Gas Powered Post Hole Digger with 3 Earth Auger Drill Bit
Fencer Wire 14 Gauge Galvanized Welded Wire Mesh Size 2 inch by 4 inch
4×4 Aluminum Pyramid Post Cap Cover (Black 8 Pack) Fits 4×4 Nominal Wood
36″ Heavy Duty 4×4 Fence Post Anchor Ground Spike Metal, 8 pieces
48′ x 100′ 1/2inch Hardware Cloth Galvanized Welded Cage Wire, 19 Gauge
Mitef Anti-aging Orchard Anti-hail Netting, 26.2x50ft
Dewitt P3 Pro 5 Landscape 5 Ounce Weed Barrier, 3 x 250 Feet (2 pack)
Orchard in The High Plains In 2023
In the next post, we are excited to show you what our orchard looks like after one and a half years. Even though the trees and berry bushes are still relatively young, they are already producing fruits! It is our hope that they will continue to grow and bear abundant fruits in the coming years. We feel blessed to be able to go to the orchard for sweet and juicy organic fruits. Please check back soon.
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