Growing fruit in the 1600's

RustBeltCowgirl
RustBeltCowgirl Posts: 1,403 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited May 2021 in Fruit

A good article from Mother Earth News' Gardener magazine. The use of fruit "walls" to grow fruit.


Comments

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2021

    I love fruit walls and use of fruits vertically. You can bump your crops and variety of fruits you row by quite a bit. Fascinating. I am trying to decide where I could put a few fruits on my one wall area. I do grow apples on fecnces and can cover them if need be for a later frost.

    The use of water and rock can also help.

  • ltwickey
    ltwickey Posts: 369 ✭✭✭

    What a wonderful article. Thank you for sharing. It's refreshing to know that the "old" ways might still be considered the "better" way!! Certainly cheaper and healthier for the Earth.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    @RustBeltCowgirl This article on the history of greenhouses is very interesting. The large ones, actually even smaller ones are not all that efficient. It might be time to bring back the free radiant technology to orchards.

    I especially love the aesthetics, efficiency of building, stability & microclimate benefit of the Dutch wall. Really, really interesting. This could be a wonderful addition to any garden or yard. Thats one idea that I will have to try to remember.

    I think we've talked about the thermal mass idea before here, but it is in a form of a partially glass greenhouse that goes by a specific name. I remember that because I thought of winter chicken coops.

    I wonder how the Paris idea would work here (that's an interesting maze type picture of the builds there). My concern would be wintering through certain fruit crops that might not otherwise grow/be hardy here. I bet that you would have to enclose those walled areas up or you would have it all filled with snow.

    Still thinking out loud...They had insulated blankets for colder nights, but would that be enough, would it be expensive and would rodents chew it to pieces? I wonder if one would just be best doing a glass ceiling in that case? That would have to be pretty tall for some fruit trees.

    I've known that you can boost a zone or two directly in front of your house, and can burn plants if your house is white, but never considered a freestanding wall (so no foundation/basement to damage) with trees directly beside it.

    Overall, it's still very fascinating.

  • COWLOVINGIRL
    COWLOVINGIRL Posts: 954 ✭✭✭✭

    So cool! And beautiful to bout!

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Love the heated walls. Its amazing the ideas people come up with

  • frogvalley
    frogvalley Posts: 675 ✭✭✭✭

    Thank you for finding and sharing.

  • water2world
    water2world Posts: 1,177 ✭✭✭✭

    @RustBeltCowgirl Thank you for posting-----lots of things to make this ole mind of mine engage!

    and @Denise Grant , I agree the heated walls sound great---I'd be sure and leave a place for me next to the wall! lol

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @water2world Yes, that warm wall sounds inviting, especially in the winter