All of the listed above advice is helpful. Advice on flavour, growth habits, disease, insects, Everything helps!!
The high density system we are using is untreated cedar posts spaced 30ft apart within row between each row is 13ft. The trees are spaced 3ft apart within row. 5 wires, starting at 2ft off ground for Irragation.
We are woodchipping the weed free strip and planting companion plants at each trellis post and along end rows at anchor points.
Each variety listed above represents a row of apples planted in high density. Average tree per row is 150. Some many many rows, our largest selection is of Honeycrisp, gala, crimson crisp, goldrush, Williams pride, ashmeads kernel and golden russet.
All of the trees are planted on B9 rootstock.
Soil is clay loam.
My biggest concern is the disease and insect management. My next biggest concern is the varying growth habits of each tree.
Marketing, previous posts on marketing have been very helpful, we are selling all our #1 Apple's at our on farm market within these #1s we will sort out some B grades for baking and culinary uses and #2 Apple's are being wholesaled the Greater Toronto Food bank under a system similar to our vegetable operation. ( *note This is more of a community support model than a profit model) #3 Apple's are off to the cider press!
Our goal is to support the community through access to local organic fruit. The way in which we hope to achieve this is generate excitement thru a diversified fruit portfolio, have specialty fruits for snacking and Apple's for fresh eating, baking and cider. For snacking we are offering some smaller edible crabs ie frostbite and wickson as well as fruits including strawberries, raspberries, haskaps and hardy kiwi.
We hope that by encouraging fresh fruit snacking we can encourage market growth an revenues.
Not a lot of love for sweet bough, I've consulted with a few ppl and similar opinions so we won't be expanding that row!
Since tastes are so widespread it is good to hear what different ppl think about each. Since we are just starting our operation we plan to expand what works and shrink back what does not.
We are very open to all new varities and to see what works and does not work for us on our site.
Thanks for all the advice I hope to see more comments even if it is just don't like the taste of x or love the taste of x or x is a surefire source of scab.
We are also interested in the history of the heritage Apple's so for Apple's like snow it's the story not the taste that has attracted us.
Tom MacIntosh
Orchard Manager Paradise Fields
Hamilton Ontario Zone 6a