Customer Reviews

The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist

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

 

 

The Apple Grower is, foremost, a guide to orcharding. It is not, and is not sold as, a how-to manual. Phillips clearly explains his experiences with organic orcharding and offers innumerable tips on managing, marketing, and maintaining an organic orchard. He covers the topics in a nicely organized and logical manner -- from selecting land for the orchard, to planting, care, and marketing of the product. At first, I lamented the lack of very specific and concise how-to information. However, as you read the book as a whole, you realize that you are learning far more than a simple how-to book. Phillips becomes almost an experienced mentor and gives real insight into why things work and the ramifications of practical actions. Phillips makes it clear that there will be bad times and that organic orcharding requires work. The rewards, however, are clear.

Phillips has a very engaging writing style and uses relavant anecdotes to underscore important points. The Story of Babs (pp148-149), one of the mini-anecdotes sprinkled throughout the book, is one of the funniest short stories I have read in quite a while.

In all, this is a good practical guide written by an experienced orchardist.

I could not put the book down. It reads more like a conversation between friends than a step-by-step how to. The author is present several schools of thought on organic farming and encourages others to try different approaches. A goldmine of information, it is comprehensive in its treatment of the organic apple growing. I highly recommend it to any one interested in raising apple trees for fun or profit.

Most gardening books tend to be fairly dry, with step-by-step instructions, lots of tables, etc. This book is the opposite. This book reads like a long story told by the fire which happens to be about serious apple orcharding. And maybe a bit like a sermon, but I mean that in a good way, not preachy. Those with wisdom should impart it. After reading so many impersonal gardening books, this one is a breath of fresh air and reminds me why I love gardening.

Even though the book is not facts-in-your-face, it does impart an incredible amount of information. But, you need to re-read since the information you need may be buried in that story somewhere. There are a couple places where more tables and diagrams could have helped. The chapter on pest and disease control for instance could have used a problem --> solution kind of table. This chapter also was over my head in spots, almost like he switched to telling his story to another seasoned organic orchardist and not a beginner like me.

The book really does impart wisdom about orcharding. Stories can contain subtle shades of grey you just can't cram into a table. Mistakes will happen, but after reading this book they won't seem quite so painful. In that sense it is invaluable.

The book is more directed at the commercial organic orchardist, and I am a home orchadist. At first I was a little annoyed at having to read about the commercial aspects, but after awhile the story got so good that I was enjoying those parts just as much as the stuff I needed to know. Also, he does direct some comments at the home orchardist. I expect I will be re-reading this book many times over the years.

A great book on small orchard management. It is especially helpful for a person interested in growing apples for the first time. The book guides you through orchard planning, care, pest control as well as marketing strategies for the small orchardist.

As a budding backyard orchardist, I found this book to be very practical and a thoroughly enjoyable read - although I hasten to add that family farm commercial growers should find it invaluable. The book is a highly authentic testament that packs years of wisdom, written by a "man on the ground" with a generous spirit and a desire to share. Michael Phillips is an apple guy. He is particularly good at revealing the delicate balance between organic approaches to farming and the financial realities of being a farmer. Although the book includes plenty of hard-tack technical information, it is also anecdotal and thoughtful. Great bibliography and resource section at the back of the book.

This is an excellent book for the innovative commercial orchardist or backyard grower. Phillips explains the concepts behind various approaches to pest control and fruit tree management. The sections on marketing are some of the best I've ever seen for any crop.