The website of the Chilkat Valley Orchard Project hosts numerous, pre-recorded workshops specific to growing fruit trees in our area. Free to anyone, links to these Zoom programs are at: cvorchardproject.org. Below, I’ve outlined two new PDF items uploaded this week and found on the website under Resources.
“Before You Order Fruit Trees.” The ideal time to communicate with a nursery to order is the previous summer or fall. This article discusses key considerations: Our agricultural zones (4 and 5), planning for cross-pollination, suggested early-ripening fruit varieties, rootstocks and Alaska’s natural dwarfing tendency, disease resistance, and the “Haines Sour Cherry” (not a thing). Please read this item before you order fruit trees.
Item 2—“Nutrient Notes for Fruits and Berries”: An analytical soil test is eye-opening, probably something most folks never do, and about $20 cheap. What are those 14 critical nutrients, why are they important, and what are your current levels? The Orchard Project has consulted with Alaska’s leading soil scientists and we are now sharing these nutrient notes with the community.
As fall turns to winter, Blythe Carter and I will be drafting a new Chilkat Valley Fruit-Growers Guide, a planned outcome of the CV Orchard Project. In time, the above-noted website postings will be revised and incorporated into the guide. The Chilkat Valley Orchard Project is funded by the USDA and is a program of the Chilkat Valley Historical Society, Inc., serving since 1975.
Burl Sheldon