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As anyone who has ever planted a few apple trees knows all too well, growing apples can be a perplexing and frustrating endeavor. The trouble is that apples are very attractive to many of nature's creatures besides humans. And at least one of these creatures, from deer to apple maggot flies, and from the roundheaded apple tree borer to mice (not to mention the long list of diseases that also affect apples), is sure to be working for its share of the fruit (and in some cases the tree) every day of the year. But if you've ever baked a pie made from your own apples, or pressed a batch of cider from them, the trials and tribulations all seem worth it with that first bite or sip.
Michael Phillips' revised "The Apple Grower" has as much help as you'll find anywhere to get you to that first bite of pie or sip of cider. The previous edition, published in 1998, was the bible for many backyard
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fashionable Organic,
By operafan (Perth, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist (Rev and Expanded (Paperback)
Some interesting information is included. However, it is all a US specific, with no reference to Canadian conditions. Some excellent heirloom apples such as Black Twig or Keepsake are not even listed. A suggestion to cross-country ski in the orchard to prevent meadow voles from running in their tracks is rather silly. The cider making section is a bit vague, but overall it is an interesting reading for a novice.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.8 out of 5 stars (29 customer reviews) 44 of 46 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Apple Grower by Michael Phillips,
By Fedco Trees - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist (Rev and Expanded (Paperback)
The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardistby Michael Phillips, 320 pages, 8x10, softcover, 2nd edition. Whether you consider yourself to be a novice or an experienced orchardist, if you want to grow apples organically, this is the book for you. For many decades apples were high in toxic residues, but thankfully, that is finally changing. A great deal of research is underway on lessening the use of synthetic poisons in the orchard. The results in the past few years are heartening. Since The Apple Grower first appeared seven years ago two important products for the organic orchardist, Surround and Entrust, have become available. It is now quite possible to grow very decent apples organically. This revised and expanded version includes apple growing basics from A to Z, as well as the latest research and strategies for successful organic orcharding. A lot of us have been begging Michael to update his book and we're thrilled with the result. He has read the studies, done the interviews, tested the products and found an effective way a way to organize the information and communicate it to the rest of us. Even if you already have the first edition, you still need this substantial revision. 23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous Resource!,
By Lynetta Anne "lynettaann" - Published on Amazon.com
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This review is from: The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist (Rev and Expanded (Paperback)
I LOVE this book.I'm particularly impressed with the density of information: too many hobby farm/small farm books take a once-over-lightly approach, but this one is deep on detail. I also appreciate the discussion of seedling trees: typically I've seen them ignored or dismissed as irrelevant. The discussion of root stock is a help too; before this I've seen it only discussed in terms of it's limiting factor on size, but this also introduces issues of hardiness and climate appropriateness. The book is incredibly thorough while reminding the reader that there are no "cook books" to growing organic orchards, it's still an art and science that is being developed. I spent the first few years of my life on an old-fashioned orchard and have never recovered. Now, after 30 big-city, corporate years the world is circling back to the kind of orchard I've always longed to have, and this book is filled with invaluable information on how to proceed. Next year I'm headed back to the country, this book in hand, to make a home and create a backyard cider orchard. I know it's hard work and the best of it may happen after I'm gone, but this book gives me the courage to begin and information to guide me as I figure it out. I hope within 5 - 10 years I'll be toasting the author with my own apple cider! 14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good find for apple growers, or potential growers!,
By The Local Farmer "Tim" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist (Rev and Expanded (Paperback)
I think this a very well written, well laid out book that could help you get started in the apple orchard business. The thing that I find most interesting about this book is that you don't need to be dedicated to organic methods to learn an enormous amount from this book. It is full of general information to aid in the whole process of growing apples.
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