The Community Orchardist Newsletter

by Michael Phillips

The Community Orchardist newsletter serves as a clearinghouse for those constantly-evolving ideas observed on the "alternative orcharding" front. Our emphasis is always on ecosystem health -- whether we're talking about a community orchard on a small commercial scale or backyard trees that thrill the grandkids.	Handling orchard ground in 1914. Source: Productive Orcharding by Fred Sears.
The lessons of each new season add to our collective knowledge base, provided we take time to pay attention to Nature's insistent teachings. The current edition of Michael's Apple Grower book (totally revised in 2005) benefits from this online opportunity to stay updated to holistic goings-on in the orcharding world.
The Community Orchardist: February 2011 The Community Orchardist: January 2011 The Community Orchardist: December 2010 The Community Orchardist: April 2010 The Community Orchardist: March 2010 The Community Orchardist: February 2010 The Community Orchardist: March 2009 The Community Orchardist: January 2009 The Community Orchardist: February 2008 The Community Orchardist: April 2007 The Community Orchardist: February 2007 Newsletters are in pdf format. If you do not have a pdf viewer, click to download a free version of Adobe Reader.

Stay informed about issues important to orchardists and backyard fruit growers by signing up to receive this newsletter (and I'd love to hear more about your doings with fruit trees if you have a moment to add them to your message). We'll write only on occasion, as life in our own orchard gets pretty busy throughout the growing season. Please do send Michael useful orchard management advice and apple news that you feel should be shared with other community orchardists (contact Michael). Part of the fun of having written Apple Grower is serving as a clearinghouse of information that helps all of us to grow the good fruit.

We're delighted this newsletter can be available "for free" to all who care about growing healthy fruit. But just like your favorite public radio station, we can always use appreciative support to cover the direct costs underlying a valuable networking effort. Please take a moment to check out this intriguing story about the Golden Apples of the Hesperides. Shared effort makes the day for all concerned, folks, and in that regard we absolutely need you!