Customer Reviews

Backyard Orchardist: A Complete Guide to Growing Fruit Trees in the Home Garden

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was the first book I purchased when I decided to plant a few fruit trees in my yard. Every book I have purchased since has failed to provide any new information. Save your money and buy only this book. It has everything you need to know in an easy to read format.

The Backyard Orchardist by Stella Otto is filled with fruit growing information that is very easy for the hobbyist to implement. Equally important, the information is well organized and is exceptionally easy to find.

Strengths:

*The information is comprehensive.

*The information is very specific. Example: The tables inform you as to which pesticides are most suitable for a given pest (cross referenced to a table of illustrations) and when to spray for them.

*The information is both usable and generic. For example: The advice on fertilizing recommends that the grower adjust the amount of fertilizer to match a target annual growth rate (length of shoot extension). That technique compensates for differences in soil type, rootstock, cultivar, etc. Basically, it teaches the grower how to pay attention to their trees.

Weaknesses:

*Illustrations are more functional than artistic. Not always a drawback.

*The very specific nature of the advice limits it. The book was published in 1995. The regulation status (and availability) of pesticides can change from year-to-year. New disease-resistant cultivars are released annually.

*Lists of fruit cultivars will seem a little sketchy to the rabid fruit growing enthusiast.

Summary:

*Buy this book if you live in the area bounded by Maine, Montana, Colorado, and North Carolina and you can only afford one book on growing tree-fruits.

*Do not buy this book if you want a "coffee-table book."

From the reviews I had expected much more from this book. I regret spending to money to buy it. Last spring I put in a small orchard and found the book to be a bit short on specifics. It contained the type of information I had already gotten from my nursery about pollinators, root stocks, chill times, etc. though the book only covers a few very common varieties. I found the pruning section to be too much of an overview. I was able to find the much more comprehensive information I needed (not only on pruning, but on pest management, fertilization, irrigation, etc.) from various state agricultural extension services--on line.

This guide has helped my husband and I correctly plant and maintain our peach and apricot trees. It's easy to follow and has many helpful hints for the novice orchardist.

This book provides a lot of information written in an easy to understand way. It is a very comprehensive guide to starting and maintaining a small orchard, and I learned a lot reading it.

I have peach and black cherry trees.Last year they had many bloosoms,but because of late frost only had about 20 peaches and no cherries.This year thir were no bloosoms on any of the peach or cherry trees. Is this normal or do I have a problem?Apple trees were full of blossoms!

Stella Otto knows her fruit! She should with her experience. Book is jam packed (pun intended) with a full 260 plus pages of sweet info that all of us who are preparing for the year 2000 and beyond, those concerned with permaculture, simple life, and sustainable food sources should have this book on the shelf at home to refer to! Way to go Stella!

This book walks you through step by step how to start your own orchard: from planning the orchard, testing the soil, to selecting the trees for your climate.

In the words of the famous poet Archibald MacLeish, "An orchard should be palpable and mute as a globed fruit. Dumb as old medallions to the thumb. Silent as a sleeve-worn stone". In Stella Otto's superb orchard bible, her life's work truly takes on a new meaning as she explores the roots and branches of modern day fruit tree keeping.
"Twig by twig the night entangled trees"... Archibald's infamous words come to mind as the reader experiences Otto's in-depth and detailed pruning techniques that are vividly described with full page color photos from her own garden. This book inspires the green thumb in all of us.