The Wish For An Orchard

I grew up on a farm in East Yorkshire, we had a few apple trees but the orchard that had been in existence in my grandfathers childhood was no longer in proper existance.  I remember one very sad old Victoria plum and a couple of neglected and dying apple trees as all that remained of the old orchard.  My grandfather had planted a new orchard which, I am told, initially flourished but then either he or my uncle fenced it and turned pigs into it.  Pigs, being the clever animals they are, soon realised that if they rubbed vigorously against the trees apples fell from the sky.  But being pigs and not quite as clever as they might be they didn't realise that if they killed the trees by abuse and rooting the manor from heaven wouldn't last long.  So by the time I came along there was only five trees remaining.  Of these four were within the yard and were cooking apple trees, three Bramley's seedling and one unknown. The fifth tree survived because it was planted on the ditch bank beyond the fence and so was out of reach of the marauding pigs.  But this tree had been neglected or planted too deep and the rootstock had sprouted and become larger than the scion.  But if you got there before the wasps and were prepared to brave the nettles the apples from the scion were well worth the trouble.  My grandfather said he had always intended to cut the overgrown rootstock back but by the time it was dormant he couldn't remember which part to remove so the tree lived on in this state of dual existence and it is still in the same state today so far as I know.  I don't know for certain but I suspect the scion was a winter banana, whatever it was they tasted great when they were fully ripe.  So much for that orchard, the other ancient orchard that I knew of was at the farm I was at which I was born, and was about three miles away, this consisted of several clusters of damsons, four or five bullace, five or six ancient apples and a single huge pear which, like many other ancient pears produces many small hard pears every year.  I have always yearned for an orchard of my own but initially I didn't have the patience, which was probably good as I have moved several times.  And until five years ago I didn't have a reasonable site.  I now seem to have both the site and the patience for the job so here goes.  I started with the intention of planting about twelve trees but as I read more and learned a little I have become curious about how different varieties will respond to my North Yorkshire site and so far I have thirty six trees planted and working on the recommended spacing for the rootstock I am using I have ample room for twenty six more. My wife is getting a little worried about my plans and my children are even more sure that I am "not right in the head" than they were before I started planting.  But I think that if I'm going to create a problem with an over abundance of fruit it may as well be a large problem as a small one. Who knows perhaps I can make my hobby pay enough to be self funding or even leave a little over, not many hobby's can do that.

The village of Normanby is about three miles south of Kirkbymoorside.  I have just over half an acre of well sheltered ground, whilst it doesn't slope south it does slope east and gets the benefit of good sunlight for most of the day.  The ground is mostly a good deep loam with a small area of loam to clay where I buried some of the subsoil we dug out for the house foundations. The drainage isn't perfect but it isn't bad either and the slope should ensure there aren't any frost pockets.  Historically there have been orchards in the area, this can be witnessed in some of the local farm names, but its a long time in the past.  And also we aren't far from Ampleforth Abbey which boasts the country's most northerly commercial orchard with over two thousand trees.  So perhaps I do stand a chance, only time will tell.

My Doyenne du Commice Pear seems willing to give me a try, it budded early and well, it looks happy with its lot