Book Recommendation: 'The Orchard Book' by Wade Muggleton
About the Author
From the book:
"Wade Muggleton has been interested in permaculture for over 30 years, having travelled in Australia and New Zealand in the 1990s where the concept originated. He has subsequently been a college lecturer and a countryside officer in local government. He lives in Shropshire with his partner and two children, where their plot, Station Road Permaculture Garden, has been a demonstration site for permaculture as well as open under the National Open Gardens Scheme. In 2013, he acquired a field which allowed his orchard ambitions to expand. He now has a collection of over 130 varieties of fruit trees and was featured on BBC Gardeners' World in 2018. He has written for Permaculture magazine for many years and regularly teaches, gives talks and runs training sessions on a wide range of orchard subjects."
I first discovered Wade Muggleton when he was featured in a 2018 Gardeners' World episode (mentioned above). His Station Road Permaculture Garden is an 80 foot by 40 foot oasis that he has created in his backyard. It's a wonderful example of how to create a garden full of charm, variety, and interest in an average-sized backyard. Wade has divided his 3,200 square foot permaculture haven into three zones: lawn, vegetable area, orchard/chicken area. He has integrated fruit trees throughout the garden, from step-overs to dwarf varieties to an apple tree grown over an arch. In 2013, he purchased land on the other side of the village that allowed him to expand his apple growing passion and establish a field orchard.
Overview
The Orchard Book is very approachable and immediately useful for beginner orchard enthusiasts. It is also relevant and full of useful information for the more seasoned orchardist. Filled with lovely color photos throughout, the book is organized in a way that leads budding backyard orchardists from reasons to have an orchard to harvesting and managing the orchard for the long term.
Topics include:
Reasons to have an orchard.
The fascinating world of apples.
Figuring out what you want from your orchard - six key questions to ask yourself.
Selecting the right varieties for your needs and your space.
Going beyond apples - other top fruit that you can grow in your orchard.
Sourcing your trees.
Guidance and considerations for creating your planting plan.
How to give your trees the best start in life.
Managing the orchard 'floor' or the area beneath the orchard canopy.
How to pick, store, and process your harvest.
Managing your orchard for the long term.
The Orchard Book is an enjoyable and informative read, full of orchard wisdom with Wade's personal experiences woven throughout.
Purchasing This Book
You can purchase this book on Amazon.
Book copyright 2021 by Wade Muggleton. Published by Permanent Publications.
Weedy Pete
