Growing Urban Orchards

by Susan Poizner

Learn how to care for fruit trees in the city and beyond. Fruit trees are delicate and need specialized care, especially when they're planted in an urban environment, which comes with its own unique challenges. Whether you want to plant a single fruit tree or an entire orchard, this book will show you how to save time and money and be successful right from the start.
Susan Poizner guides novices and experts alike through every step of the process. She describes which key elements are necessary in site preparation, offers a basic overview of the anatomy of fruit trees, and explains how to select trees. Also covered are critical concerns, such as cross-pollinating versus self-pollinating trees, bare-root versus potted trees, and whether the fruit will be for eating, cooking, or canning. Thorough instructions are provided for planting and staking, as well as pointers on how to care for both young and mature trees.
From assessing soil,selecting the right fertilizer and pruning trees to choosing the proper tools, boosting biodiversity and preventing pests and diseases, no leaf is left unturned. This vast wealth of knowledge is accompanied by illustrations and color photos, along with inspiring stories of orchards and tree farms.

Genres: Gardening

115 pages, Paperback

First published December 23, 2013

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an amateur introduction to urban community orchards, this is a remarkable resource. For any who are interested in starting either a community orchard or a backyard orchard, I would recommend this book. It is well organized, has good and helpful illustrations, and includes annotated resources for further information. The quibbles I have are far outweighed by the important information conveyed in this useful volume. Read this before you begin and follow up with the resources provided. Kudos to Susan Poizner!

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, the content was pretty good for tree maintenance and health. However, my big complaint here is that this is for urban orchards. Her answer to that was to get approved to grow fruit trees in a park. This isn't the answer I was expecting.

There is a lot of information on pruning and growing trees in a way that is suitable for very small spaces (see Dave Wilson Nursery on Youtube). I expected a lot of these techniques that expand on those theories, which there were none.

Living in a city, I unfortunately do not have space for 20' trees in my yard. I see need to do more research before I feel comfortable planting.

[Rowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was really nice to have the perspective of a grower in my actual growing zone. It had the feel of a book written by the intermediate student for the beginner student, which was a downside in that the author didn't have the same depth of knowledge that other authors I've read have, but good in that it had a good understanding of what the absolute beginner might need to know. The beginners advice was very practical and less romantic than some other books - things like "if you spend a lot of time picking out the perfect variety of apple online, you will inevitably find that none of your local nurseries sell it."

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have fruit trees now, and I'm trying to figure out how to care for them. The next major project is a years-overdue pruning, which I should do in "late winter"--which, this week of February 2024, the high will be 50º here in Minnesota. What season is it again?!?

Anyway, this was a helpful book on general urban tree care, from soil, to insects, to pruning, to harvesting, and had some nice stories/case studies from urban orchards or parks in other cities. I liked it.

[librarianka · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a beginner community gardener/orchardist I use this book a lot. It is very well clearly organized and presents a practical approach to small scale growing and taking care of fruit trees from selecting, planting, irrigating, pruning and controlling diseases. This book is indispensable and very useful for planning your activities and maintaining a small orchard.