This photo is at a PYO in Massachusetts not far from Belchertown that has nice-sized trees for pedestrian picking, with the highest apples within kid-sitting-on-the-shoulder's reach. Marty is 5'2" and so you can see the scale. The clerk didn't know the rootstock, but my guess is something smaller than Bud. 9 or M9.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/100097230/PYO%20Mass.JPG Kevin Hauser Kuffel Creek Apple Nursery Riverside, California Nakifuma, Uganda On Fri, 4 Jul 2014 11:29:24 -0400, Arthur Kelly <[email protected]> wrote: > Maximum yield isn't necessarily the same thing as maximum sales. In my > opinion, the selling is more important than anything else. Yes, good > yields of good quality fruit is important, but being good at selling and > how much you are able to get for what you have to sell trumps everything > else. If you are able to sell for $40.00/bu what needs to happen to get > that price in terms of customer experience is the priority. > > p.s. No, we are not able to get that much but there are farms in the area > that do. We still wholesale a large percentage of the crop. > > Art Kelly > Kelly Orchards > Acton, Maine > > > On Thu, Jul 3, 2014 at 2:13 PM, David Doud <[email protected]> wrote: > >> not an expert here, but it's my understanding in a spindle system the >> space between trees in the row is determined by what renewal pruning will >> fill and that much over 3' between trees in most situations would require >> permanent woody architecture to keep the space filled, which brings about >> several horticultural challenges - >> >> then the space between rows versus the height of the trees becomes a >> calculation to maximize yield - >> >> in a you-pick situation I'd suggest that maximum yield would be a >> secondary consideration to logistics - that wider rows and shorter trees >> for convenience and safety would override a certain percentage of maximum >> theoretical yield - >> >> I shudder to consider what strategies the public might employ to harvest >> that beautiful apple just out of their reach... >> >> if my understanding is incorrect, feel free to challenge - >> >> David >> >> >> >> >> >> On Jul 3, 2014, at 11:21 AM, Matt Pellerin wrote: >> >> Thanks for the responses. I was thinking of going to a 10 x 3 orchard >> growing Honeycrisp on M26 and Macoun on Bud 9. I think the 10 x 3 >> spacing >> puts the tree height at 8.5' which will work pretty well for >> pick-your-own. >> On this kind of spacing, will I still be within the Tall Spindle >> category? >> Will I have to make adjustments in my pruning methodology or will the >> typical tall spindle pruning and training recommendations work? >> >> Thanks, >> Matt >> >> >> On Thu, Jul 3, 2014 at 8:26 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> I concur with Dennis' evaluation of Dr. Robinson's videos; this system >>> has >>> forced even stubborn high-chill varieties to transition from vegetative >>> mode to fruiting mode in hot climates and the tropics. >>> >>> I wanted to address Matthew's desire to keep the trees around 6' tall. >>> This sounds like it would take a very dwarfing rootstock like M27; do >>> any >>> of our growers have experience training these as tall spindle? >>> >>> Kevin Hauser >>> Kuffel Creek Apple Nursery >>> Riverside, California >>> Nakifuma, Uganda >>> >>> On Thu, 3 Jul 2014 00:23:19 -0500, <[email protected]> >>> wrote: >>> > matthew, >>> > >>> > We have been growing tall spindle in northern Illinois in a >>> pick-your-own >>> > orchard for around 5 or 6 years now. The system has been improving >>> > over >>> > the years and currently the newer spacing being recommended by Dr. >>> Terence >>> > Robinson >>> > from Cornell is around 12' x 3'. I highly recommend watching the >>> > videos >>> > at YouTube he did at the Winter Apple School in Henderson County, NC >>> found >>> > at http://youtu.be/gJF4wLgXnK8 >>> > >>> > After viewing this video and others on the BRCC TV - The Educational >>> > Channel on YouTube covering the Tall Spindle System, we will be making >>> the >>> > recommended changes to our current system of 14' x 4'. >>> > >>> > Hope this helps. >>> > >>> > Dennis Norton >>> > IPM Specialist/Certified Nurseryman >>> > Royal Oak Farm Orchard >>> > 15908 Hebron Rd. >>> > Harvard, IL 60033-9357 >>> > Office (815) 648-4467 >>> > Mobile (815) 228-2174 >>> > Fax (609) 228-2174 >>> > http://www.royaloakfarmorchard.com >>> > http://www.royaloakfarmorchard.blogspot.com >>> > ----- Original Message ----- >>> > From: Matt Pellerin >>> > To: [email protected] >>> > Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2014 2:55 PM >>> > Subject: [apple-crop] Narrow Tall Spindle Layout >>> > >>> > >>> > I am a grower in central Maine that operates a pick-your-own >>> > orchard. >>> I >>> > will be planting a tall spindle orchard next year. I would like to >>> plant >>> > the rows as narrow as possible in combination with shorter trees so >>> the >>> > customers can reach more of the fruit. My orchard tractor is 54" >>> wide. >>> > How narrow can I plant my tall spindle orchard with this equipment? >>> > Also, what would be the appropriate tree height at the narrow row >>> > spacing? >>> > >>> > >>> > Thanks, >>> > -- >>> > >>> > Matthew Pellerin >>> > Agricultural Manager >>> > Treworgy Family Orchards >>> > 3876 Union St >>> > Levant, ME 04456 >>> > >>> > www.treworgyorchards.com >>> > >>> > 207-884-8354 >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> >>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ >>> > >>> > >>> > _______________________________________________ >>> > apple-crop mailing list >>> > [email protected] >>> > http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop >>> _______________________________________________ >>> apple-crop mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> Matthew Pellerin >> Agricultural Manager >> Treworgy Family Orchards >> 3876 Union St >> Levant, ME 04456 >> www.treworgyorchards.com >> 207-884-8354 >> _______________________________________________ >> apple-crop mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> apple-crop mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop >> >> -- Kevin Hauser _______________________________________________ apple-crop mailing list [email protected] http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop
