Boston Flora

Tag: Fruit Trees

  • Wednesday, February 26, 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Grafting Woody Plants: Fruit Trees

    Grafting is the technique of joining parts of separate plants in such a manner that they unite and continue their growth as one. Learn basic principles of grafting with an overview of different types of dormant-season grafts. Arnold Arboretum propagator Sean Halloran will provide step-by-step instructions so that you can practice both cleft and side veneer grafts using apple root stock. Simple after-care will be required until planting out in springtime. Registrants will need to sign an Assumption of Risk and Release in order to participate in this class. The Dana Greenhouse Classroom is the venue, and the date is Wednesday, February 26 from 5 – 7:30. Fee $48 Arboretum member, $58 nonmember. Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

    Copyright Lizzie Harper

  • Saturday, March 23, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – Orchard Management

    Successfully growing fruit for your family becomes straightforward when you narrow the big picture down to getting the basics right. This Berkshire Botanical Garden workshop on March 23 from 9 – 4, led by expert Michael Phillips, of Lost Nation Orchard in northern New Hampshire, covers complementary sprays backed by biodiversity and soil health to set the stage for successfully growing tree fruit in the western Massachusetts/tri-state region. Learn how fungal disease becomes manageable with wise variety choices and enhanced soil biology. Even major insect challenges can be resolved safely when you perceive who, what, and when. All sorts of fruits–from apples and pears to peaches and cherries and onward to berries–make for a diverse home-orchard planting.

    Instructor: Michael Phillips, of Lost Nation Orchard in northern New Hampshire, is the author of Mycorrhizal Planet:How Fungi and Plants Work Together to Create Dynamic Soils, The Apple Growers: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist, The Holistic Orchard: Tree Fruits and Berries the Biological Way.

    BBG Members: $110, Non-Members: $125. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/orchard-management

    Image result for holistic orchard by michael phillips

  • Saturday, April 7, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Pruning for Fruit Production: Pome and Stone Fruit Trees

    This Berkshire Botanical Garden demonstration/workshop on Saturday, April 7 from 10 – 3 will focus on the specifics of pruning stone and pome fruit trees and some small fruits, including cane fruits and ribes. Unlike for ornamental woody plants, pruning for fruit is a special science that is designed to maximize fruit production. Learn the principles of pruning for shape, size, and, most importantly, fruit production. Watch a structural pruning demonstration on newly planted fruit trees. Semi-dwarf orchard trees, including mature and newly planted trees, will be available for pruning.

    Steve McKay is the former Grape and Small Fruit Specialist for Cornell Cooperative Extension in eastern New York State. He owns Micosta, a fruit nursery located in Hudson, NY, and specializes in traditional and unusual fruit tree and small fruits. $45 for BBG members, $55 for nonmembers. Participants should dress warmly and bring pruners and work gloves; dress for the weather. Register at https://berkshirebotanical.secure.force.com/events/CnP_PaaS_EVT__ExternalRegistrationPage?event_id=a2m1Y0000033aC2QAI

  • Thursday, June 22, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop Part Two

    Part two of this two-part fruit tree pruning class on Thursday, June 22 from 10 – 2 will cover fruit tree management and growth control techniques for a maximally productive tree. Participants will learn how trees set bud, and what type of wood produces fruit. The class will focus on apples, cherries, peaches and pears. The program will begin with a lecture at Polly Hill Arboretum, 809 State Road in West Tisbury, in the new Education Center (pictured below), and move to the Grey Barn orchard for the hands-on portion. During the Grey Barn visit, the group will revisit trees from part one of the class in March, and observe how the pruning influenced growth, as well as discussing next steps for proper management. Bring a lunch, work gloves, and safety glasses, and dress for the weather. The Arboretum will provide pruners, saws, loppers and ladders. $40 for non-members, $30 for members. Space is limited; please call to preregister: 508-693-9426. All are welcome, whether or not you attended part one. Park in the main lot and meet at the visitor center.

  • Saturday, March 28, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Pruning for Fruit Production

    This Berkshire Botanical Garden demonstration/workshop on Saturday, March 28 from 10 – 3 (snow date Sunday, March 29) will focus on the specifics of pruning stone and pome fruit trees and some small fruits, including cane fruits and ribes. Unlike ornamental woody plants, pruning for fruit is a special science that is designed to maximize fruit production. Learn the principles of pruning for shape, size and, most importantly, fruit production. Watch a structural pruning demonstration on newly planted fruit trees. Semi-dwarf orchard trees, including mature and newly planted trees, will be available for pruning. The workshop will take place offsite and participants should dress warmly and bring pruners and a bag lunch. $75 for BBG members, $85 for nonmembers. Register online at http://www.berkshirebotanical.org/event/pruning-for-fruit-production-pome-and-stone-fruit-trees-2/?instance_id=3300.

    Steve McKay is the former Grape and Small Fruit Specialist for Cornell Cooperative Extension in eastern New York State. He has a B.S. in entomology from U.C. Davis and a M.S. in pomology. He own Micosta, a fruit nursery located in Hudson, NY. He specializes in traditional and unusual fruit tree and small fruits.

  • Saturday, February 23, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Fruit Tree Pruning at The Shirley-Eustis House

    The Shirley-Eustis House, a National Historic Landmark house museum and carriage house in Roxbury, Massachusetts is pleased to announce a fruit tree pruning workshop will be held on Saturday, February 23, 2012 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Please join the Shirley-Eustis House, Boston Urban Forest Council and Boston Natural Areas Network for a free workshop presentation entitled Fruit Trees: Pruning and Care at the Shirley-Eustis House, 33 Shirley Street, Boston.

    Routine pruning is vital for healthy fruit trees. In this hands-on workshop, experts will demonstrate basic tree pruning techniques and guide you as you help prune the Shirley-Eustis House orchard trees.  The workshop will teach you how and when to make pruning cuts, methods to boost the production of quality fruit and strategies to improve the health of fruit tree orchards.

    Please register for this event by calling 617-542-7696 or by emailing info@bostonnatural.org. This event is free and open to the public. All pruning tools and equipment will be provided but we ask that you provide your own gloves and eye protection gear.

     

  • Saturday, October 20, 10:00 am – The Art of Grafting

    On October 20 at 10 am, visit Old Sturbridge Village at the height of foliage season and learn how to graft your own fruit trees.  The selection of root stock and fruit varieties will be discussed and simple grafting techniques will be demonstrated in this Garden Thyme lecture.  Free for OSV members, admission charged for non members.  Visit www.osv.org for more information.

  • Saturday, August 25, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Fruit Trees: New Orchard Maintenance

    So you have planted some new fruit trees. What do you do now to ensure fruitful trees for future seasons? This informative program on Saturday, August 25, from 10 – 11:30 am, will illustrate the training, pest control, pruning, soil building and fertilization techniques required to grow healthy trees and delicious fruit. The class will take place at the Nightingale Community Garden, 512 Park Street in Dorchester. Co-sponsored by Boston Natural Areas Network and Boston Tree Party.  Email info@bostonnatural.org or phone 617-542-7696.  Photo from www.apartmenttherapy.com.

  • Tuesday, August 16, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Growing Organic Fruit Trees in a Backyard

    Why not grow organic apples in the backyard? This Northeast Organic Farming Association workshop on Tuesday, August 16, from 6 – 8:30 pm, will go over how to plant and care for fruit trees using organic methods. After a pruning demonstration, John Bemis, from Hutchins Farm, will cover materials, varieties, rootstocks, as well as disease and pest management. He will be sure to touch on the likely challenges growers face and variable responses to those challenges. $25 NOFA members/$30 Non-members. The event will take place at City Natives, 30 Edgewater Drive in Boston.

    John Bemis is a partner at Hutchins Farm in Concord, MA. He has been organically growing vegetables for over 35 years and currently oversees nine acres of apple trees. He studied agriculture and construction in Peru through the Peace Corps and has a degree from MIT in Architecture.

    To register for the workshop or for more information visit www.nofamass.org or contact Laura Eppstein at (617) 913-0538, or by email at laura@nofamass.org. Ulla Norup Milbrath’s Gravenstein apples below from www.ullam.typepad.com.

  • Saturday, June 4, 10:00 a.m. – Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop

    The Shirley-Eustis House, a National Historic Landmark house museum and carriage house in Roxbury, Massachusetts is pleased to announce another fruit tree pruning workshop on Saturday, June 4, 2011.  As part of the Boston Orchard Program, The Shirley-Eustis House is partnering with Boston Natural Areas Network and The Food Project to bring you this free pruning workshop where you will learn how and when to make pruning cuts that will boost fruit production and improve the health of local trees. Ben Crouch, sole proprietor of Jamaica Plain’s Land of Plenty Gardens will provide information and hands-on demonstrations about pruning at the Shirley-Eustis House Orchards located at 33 Shirley Street in Roxbury.

    This free program, for everyone interested in learning more about protecting their trees, will begin at 10 a..m. Reservations are required by Thursday, June 2. Contact the Shirley-Eustis House at 617-442-2275 or email at governorshirley@gmail.com. You may also contact Boston Natural Areas Network at 617-542-7696 or email them at info@bostonnatural.org.