Tom Manning leads a Saturday morning discussion with area residents interested in learning more about growing fruit trees in and around Silver City at The Commons: Center for Food Security and Sustainability.
Saturday, fruit grower Tom Manning led a community discussion with about 30 attendees on the many aspects to consider when planting and tending fruit trees in the Silver City area. The discussion happened at The Commons: Center for Food Security and Sustainability, located at 501 E. 13th St. in Silver City.
The Commons, a food pantry for Grant County residents who are food insecure, also has as part of its mission “to build community around the concepts of food justice, local self-sufficiency and sustainability.”
Saturday’s discussion, held outside among fruit trees on the property on a beautiful January morning, was part of that mission to encourage more residents to become self-sufficient by growing fruit in various spaces in and around Silver City. The event was billed as a place to learn the basics of fruit growing in this climate and get prepared to plant fruit trees in 2022.
Manning discussed the types of fruit trees that can be grown in Silver City, which falls into growing Zone 8. He described his life in Silver City, and many of the things he has learned from many years of growing more than 150 varieties of fruit trees here.
There was much discussion about the types of fruit that do well in this climate, from cherries, apricots, apples and peaches to various types of nuts and berries.
Many attendees asked about how to deal with various pests, from Asian stink bugs and apple maggots to birds and deer.
“You just have to plant enough for everyone,” one attendee suggested.
To this, Manning replied, “That used to be my philosophy, but in my experience, if you plant enough for everyone, then everyone shows up and eats everything.”
Other topics covered included chill hours and warming requirements, deciding where to plant and whether trees would need to be protected from the elements.
Manning also discussed how to avoid problems with diseases, like bacterial canker, that may affect a tree or its fruit, as well as how the planting of perennial vegetable gardens around fruit trees can be impacted by sunlight being blocked by tree canopies. That led to his explanation of a French technique called espalier for growing trees in a plane, allowing more sunlight through to the ground.
This is a part of a series of similar opportunities that The Commons: Center for Food Security and Sustainability holds to inform the community about food options. For more information on future programs, monitor The Commons through their Facebook page or through their website at thecom monsgrantcounty.org.
—AARON ROGERS
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January 11, 2022 at 03:08AM
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