1. The orchard ecosystem
2. Orchard design
3. Orchard horticulture
4. Orchard dynamics
5. Pome fruits
6. Stone fruits
7. Berries
8. The orchard year
Michael Phillips is a farmer, writer, researcher, consultant, and speaker who lives with his wife Nancy and daughter Grace on Heartsong Farm in Northumberland, New Hampshire, where they grow apples and a variety of medicinal herbs. Michael and Nancy are also the co-authors of The Herbalistis Way.
Booklist-
With the rising popularity of farmers’ markets and ever-increasing
availability of organic foods in mainstream grocery stores, more
and more gardeners are catching the urge to go pesticide-free. For
fruit lovers wanting to tend an orchard on a small scale, Phillips,
author of the gardening best-seller The Apple Grower (2005), offers
a wealth of tips and tricks here on growing berries and tree fruits
without resorting to toxic sprays. Eight information-packed
chapters cover such basics as orchard design, seeding and growing
schedules, and soil varieties, all using natural methods of
cooperating with nature to resist attacks by garden pests and plant
diseases. Phillips also provides an exhaustive directory of fruit
varieties, from pome fruits, such as apples and pears, to stone
fruits, such as cherries and nectarines. Although the guide is
aimed primarily at home growers with a little yard space and a yen
for organic produce, professional orchard managers can certainly
benefit and will hopefully be prompted to shy away from pesticides
as well.
Choice-
The Holistic Orchard is a breath of fresh air in a genre too often
characterized by occult mysticism and/or an air of moral
superiority. Phillips (The Apple Grower, 2005), a farmer/orchardist
with many years of experience, is a pragmatist, not a polemicist;
he successfully covers topics ranging from plant biology and
ecology to the realities and economics of niche markets. The author
presents a challenge to backyard fruit growers and community
orchardists to produce healthy, quality fruits organically.
Phillips begins by discussing the soil and finishes with marketing
his fruit at the production site. The text reflects his infectious
enthusiasm, his deep understanding of the positive and negative
impacts of natural organisms on his trees, and his commitment to
hard work and critical thinking. The author addresses the
challenges of dealing with disease and insect and animal pests
along with the need to accommodate trees' annual needs for
nutrients; he uses approaches that seek to promote within orchards
a diversity of beneficial organisms as well as methods that promote
the plant's immunological response via phytoalexins. This book is
richly photographed and contains well-placed sidebars with
pertinent information. It was a delight to read. Summing Up: Highly
recommended. All undergraduate students, general readers, and
professionals/practitioners.
ForeWord Reviews-
Despite a wealth of information available about grafting, soil
health, tree planting, and pruning, there’s one major area of
orchard management that’s tough for any beginner to learn:
confidence. That’s where Michael Phillips comes in. As a
farmer in northern New Hampshire, and author of The Apple
Grower, he provides gentle-but-sure advice on holistic orchards in
a way that’s encouraging and valuable. Beginning with a
fascinating explanation of forest-edge ecology—which defines where
fruit trees thrive best—Phillips moves into topics like fungal
dominance, haphazard mulching, pulsing agents, and more. For those
moving to the next level of orchard management, Phillips delves
into the specifics of three major categories of fruits: pome, which
includes apples and pears; stone, which encompasses cherry, peach,
plum, and apricot; and woody berries, including blackberry,
currant, gooseberry, and raspberry. Throughout, Phillips adopts a
genial tone that blends farmer-next-door friendliness with a more
academic approach. The mix works, giving the scientific
descriptions more weight while keeping the material
accessible. In general, the sheer breadth of information
presented can seem overwhelming, particularly for a beginner, but
it’s likely that those who are interested in getting started in
holistic orchard practices will appreciate having such a thorough
reference guide.
Publishers Weekly-
The author of the classic guide for small-scale fruit cultivation,
The Apple Grower, returns to the orchard. Phillips, who grows
apples and herbs in New Hampshire, concedes early on that growing
fruit that is both attractive and delicious is more challenging
than cultivating vegetables and herbs. What distinguishes this book
from other organic guides is the author's ecological approach. He
argues that orchard success begins with a deep understanding of
soil health and forest-edge ecology. The chemistry lessons may
challenge many, but he translates most of the science basics into
practical routines that any gardener could use. Straightforward
information on selecting trees and horticultural basics such as
pruning and pest management follows. For those who intend to invest
significant time and resources into growing fruit, this is a
comprehensive guide to managing a healthy and bountiful orchard.
Color photographs and illustrations throughout.
Amazon.com Editorial Review- The demand for high-quality,
organically grown food is skyrocketing with people's gradual
understanding of the health risks and dangers of chemical
pesticides and "industrialized" farming, yet good organic apples
are still hard to find in many places. Phillips has employed hard
work and keen observation of nature to make the best use of our
great-grandparents' experiences and techniques. He then examines
the latest scientific knowledge of apple pests and their life
cycles to produce a thorough guide to growing wonderful, delicious
varieties of apples in an orchard that is safe for animals, birds,
and children playing under its tree branches. Each chapter has
practical advice for the backyard fruit grower, and while this book
is filled with useful facts and tactics, Phillips also adds a
gentle, Earth-friendly, philosophical writing style that makes for
quite an enjoyable read.
"Rooted in the author's many years of organic orcharding
experience, this book blends ideas from soil science, holistic
health, permaculture, and traditional fruit growing into a powerful
new approach to orchard design and care. Phillips' first-hand
knowledge anchors this innovative and highly readable book in
practical wisdom that both beginner and long-time fruit growers
will find invaluable."--Toby Hemenway, author of Gaia's Garden: A
Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture
"Michael Phillips' Holistic Orchard is a seminal work, to be
compared with Sir Albert Howard and J.I. Rodale's classic books on
soil and organic gardening. This is deep horticulture at its best,
showing just how and what we must do to orchard sustainably and
ecologically."--Bill MacKentley, St. Lawrence Nurseries
"The words 'holistic' and 'comprehensive' barely do honor to
Michael Phillips' scope in The Holistic Orchard. The author has
woven multiple strands of orchard knowledge -- based on his
expansive vision and a lifetime of experience, together with the
wisdom of researchers and fellow fruit growers -- into a brilliant
web that captures the wonderful complexity of the orchard
ecosystem. A sparkling joy to behold!"--Guy Ames, orchardist and
tree fruit specialist with ATTRA, the National Sustainable
Agriculture Information Service
"The Holistic Orchard is a stimulating account of fruit production
from a biological rather than chemical approach. Phillips' orchard
philosophy- learned from keen observation and reflection- will fall
and clobber you like a giant Newtonian apple; then, your walk
through the orchard will never be the same. Digesting this book is
like tasting a delectable new apple variety for the first
time."--Tom Burford, Orchard Consultant, Author, Apple
Historian
"For decades experts have insisted that organic orcharding is an
impossibility. Michael Phillips has led the effort to show that the
truly sustainable, organic orchard is something we all can have.
His example has been an inspiration. His tireless research has
provided a road map to creating our own holistic orchards."--John
Bunker, apple historian and author, Not Far from the Tree
"Michael Phillips does it again! His ability to understand and
explain the parts, interactions and emergent properties of orchard
systems is unparalleled. The Holistic Orchard integrates
fundamental biology with the practical realities of ecologically
sound management. The book describes the trek from healthy soil to
healthy people, with great fruit all along the way. This is done in
a way that can only be achieved by a highly experienced
orchardist-practitioner-author-philosopher."--George W. Bird,
Professor of Nematology, Michigan State University
"A new way of thinking is called for given the failure of chemicals
to solve problems and feed the world. Mixing up dozens of organic
thoughts, Michael Phillips ushers us into the 21st century and
virtually creates a new language so we can really understand what
is happening in our orchards. Shake off those 20th century blues
and let's move on with The Holistic Orchard as a guiding
light."--Tim Bates, biodynamic orchardist, The Apple Farm, Philo,
California
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