The Holistic Orchard: Tree Fruits and Berries the Biological Way

by Michael Phillips, 414 pages, 8x10, softcover. Written by the renowned New Hampshire-based orchardist and author of The Apple Grower, this book could be called the Encyclopedia of Orcharding for the 21st Century. Reminiscent of the great old Rodale books, it covers a wide range of crops—apples, pears, plums, cherries, peaches, raspberries, blueberries, currants, elderberries and a whole lot more—while addressing orchard design, dynamics and horticulture in unparalleled detail. You name it, it’s all here: pruning, planting, companion planting, spraying, not spraying. (See our Holistic Orchard Spray Kit.) Phillips brings his extensive background in organic orcharding to the pages, along with some learned wisdom: “A holistic grower knows that producing healthy fruit is not about manipulating nature, but about supporting a balanced orchard ecosystem.” Whether you’re new at this or an old-timer, you will want a copy at hand this winter. The only other reading you will need, of course, is the latest Fedco Trees catalog. -John Bunker