Cider apples have been cultivated for centuries in Europe, but their performance in North America has not been without its challenges. A movement of fruit explorers and citizen scientists are changing the way ciders and perrys are made in the US. Dave Carr of Raging Cider in San Marcos, California […]
fruit growing
Do you want to grow some of your own food but have a small yard? This session will show you how to do that successfully. Author Lee Reich will cover proven techniques for growing abundant crops in a small footprint. This session will also be of interest for growers with […]
Go back on a journey in time, deep into the heart of Southern homesteads and orchards where wonderful apple varieties were being grown. Overtime like many of these apples became lost as old southern apples were not immune to conformity and many varieties fell into obscurity. Many varieties are lost […]
Adam D’Angelo of Project Pawpaw will introduce us to the future of sustainable agriculture via the pawpaw! What’s Project Pawpaw? Project Pawpaw is a collaborative effort to develop varieties of pawpaw (Asimina triloba) that better meet the needs of both farmers and consumers. They aim to develop new cultivars of […]
Muscadines may be the folksy American of the grape world, but they have many qualities like disease resistance and unique flavors that are desired in the more popular Vitis vinifera (bunch grapes) species. Likewise, Vitis vinifera — the species that most people eat as table grapes and drink in wine […]
Alison Kutz will take a Birds Eye look at some of the innovative IPM (Integrated Pest Management) angles that growers of Blueberries, Apples, Hazelnuts, Wine Grapes and more have embraced over the last few years. From building soil with compost teas, to tackling disease and pests with microbial tools, growers […]
Bring your stories about fruit growing for the always-fun member Show and Tell. The Show and Tell will emphasize discovering or breeding fruit but all stories are welcome – as are new members. Wondering what the North American Fruit Explorers is all about? The 90-minute online session includes an overview […]
Helen Atthowe’s no-till, no-spray, selective-weeding, grow-your-own-fertilizer system for organic orchards that was developed & refined over 35 years while owning & operating (and co-operating with her late husband) on 3 certified organic orchards and vegetable farms ranging from 30-211 acres, spanning 3 states. You won’t want to miss this talk. […]
Are you interested in promoting pollinators in your backyards or orchards? Join us for an evening of discussion about bee biology and how habitat relates to having bees present at bloom-time. Dr. Rufus Isaacs of Michigan State University will also discuss establishing a wildflower habitat and sources of funding to […]
Join us for an evening of discussion about food forests and community orchards. Josh David of the Bloomington Community Orchard in Bloomington, IN will introduce the concepts of establishing forests in communities and highlight topics from planning and design to maintenance and community input. Come with your questions!! The meeting […]