Orchard Planning and Management on the Olympic Peninsula
June 20 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Can we imagine a greater joy than watching our garden plants progress through the growing season to that moment when the first beautiful “fruit” of our labors is hanging there waiting to be picked?
Or, is our greatest moment of bliss when we bring to the dinner table one of the delicious recipes we have produced from our garden endeavors? A-a-a-h-h.
But we’re in June, and we all know those joyful harvests will only come with lots of know-how, planning, and hard work.
If your goals include a bountiful harvest from fruit trees, join Master Gardener Tom del Hotal at the Woodcock Demonstration Garden on Saturday, June 20, from 10-11:30 a.m. for a dynamic overview on Orchard Planning and Management on the Olympic Peninsula. Tom will share essential “how-to” guidance from his 40 years’ experience in growing fruit trees, and whether you have one tree or a small orchard, this session will provide participants a sound foundation for getting the best fruit from your tree or orchard.
Optimizing your fruit harvest starts with careful planning. Tom will outline how to select the best fruit types and varieties for your property and your family, choose planting options, and identify and prepare the planting site.
The session also will address the best practices for year-round care of your fruit trees, including watering, fertilizing, pest management, and pruning. Together, these skills, applied timely, will contribute to the likelihood of harvesting a bounty of delicious, nutritious fruit.
Tom began his career as a horticulturist and nurseryman in 1977 and was a member of the California Rare Fruit Growers for over 40 years. Complementing his work in retail garden centers, Tom owned and operated part-time a fruit tree specialty nursery and consulting business, Fantasia Gardens, providing orchard design and fruit tree management services to homeowners and small-scale commercial orchards. A Certified Arborist and a member of the International Plant Propagators Society, Tom holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and four advanced certifications from the California Association of Nursery and Garden Centers.Tom also served as a part-time college instructor in horticulture for over 20 years and recently celebrated his 5th anniversary as a Clallam County Master Gardener where he is the co-team leader of the fruit tree orchard at the Woodcock Demonstration Garden. He also is president of The Olympic Orchard Society.
The goal for Orchard Planning and Management on the Olympic Peninsula is to provide participants an understanding of the key components in the lifelong care of a productive fruit tree to build their confidence, whether working independently or hiring a professional.
MG Digging Deeper presentations are free, open to all, no registration required. Feel free to bring an interested friend or neighbor. Presentations are outdoors, so dress for the weather.
