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Wonderlands of bounty and beauty, orchards offer an abundance of fruit in a wildlife haven full of diversity. A well-managed orchard works with nature to provide maximum harvest for minimal effort. Wade Muggleton has distilled 20 years of orchard know-how into this practical handbook to help you plan, plant and manage your orchard, whatever your garden size or budget. With his expert guidance, you can have an orchard on any plot garden, yard, allotment or smallholding – and both maximise your harvest and minimise your outlay.
The book covers:
- Rootstocks and fruit varieties
- Planting plans
- Maintenance strategies
- Pruning
- Propagation
- Eco-friendly pest and disease management
- Harvesting
- Storing
- Preserving the harvest
The diversity, history and heritage of apples and other fruit trees is fascinating, and Wade's passion for them is infectious. Let him draw you into a world of apples and pears, walnuts and cobnuts, cherries and plums; of ancient varieties such as quince, medlar and mulberry; and even of juicy apricots, figs and peaches. Imagine having organic fruit all year round from your own little nature haven and use Wade's tried and tested experience to create your perfect orchard.
Wade Muggleton lives in Shropshire with his partner and two children, where their plot, Station Road Permaculture Garden, is a demonstration site for permaculture and opens under the National Open Gardens Scheme. In 2013, he acquired a field and now has a collection of over 130 fruit trees and was featured on BBC Gardeners' World in 2018.
"I feared this book would boost my yearning for an orchard. It did, delectably, and gave so much more. Their rich history – from Romans and local traders to expansion and intensification – is fascinating and the reams of invaluable, expert advice, images and clear love for these vital foods, trees and habitats is irresistible."
– Vicki Hird, author and Head of the Sustainable Farming Campaign for Sustain
"Why have an orchard – even in your own back garden? The why, the how and the stories to get you going from someone who's answered the question in his own small back garden and then in a field he bought at the edge of his village. Makes orcharding seem possible even for us gardening fools. I love this book."
– Sheila Dillon, The Food Programme, BBC Radio 4
