Orchard People

IPM specialist Kristy Grigg-McGuffin of the Ontario Ministry of Food and Rural Affairs talks about fruit tree traps - some monitor fruit tree pests while others help to control pest populations.    Click here to watch a video of this Episode on Fruit Tree Traps You can find a wide range of recommended IPM tools in Orchard People's online shop . But below are a couple of products mentioned in this...

Forget mangos and bananas. If you're interested in an exciting taste adventure in tropical fruit, check out the Native American pawpaw fruit. Now pawpaw fruit may be juicy, silky soft and tropical tasting, but this fruit grows on trees across North America from the eastern edges of Texas, to Florida, and all the way up to southern Ontario.   Like any new craze, folks are turning this fruit into pa...

If you’re growing your fruit trees organically, it’s important to protect them from pests and diseases and having a fruit tree spray schedule can make that much easier. In this episode we speak to orchard consultant Mike Biltonen from Trumansburg, NY, about organic fruit tree sprays that you can use throughout the year. Mike has farmed his entire professional career. He has horticulture degrees fr...

Jesuit pear trees also known as Mission pears. French Jesuit missionaries brought these productive trees to North America in the 1700s. Learn more about this heirloom fruit tree from Jesuit Pear enthusiast Paul Spence. The host of the Orchard People  radio show and podcast is Susan Poizner of the fruit tree care education website www.orchardpeople.com .   Susan is the author of four books on fruit...

In this episode we explore the story of plant breeder Luther Burbank and we'll see how his discoveries still live on in our edible gardens today. Our guest is Rachel Spaeth, the garden curator of the Luther Burbank Home & Gardens in Santa Rosa, California . Rachel also serves as the Secretary for the Redwood Empire Chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers  (CRFG), an adjunct faculty at San...

In this episode, certified crop advisor Simon Neufeld talks about soil biology. Why is it important to have a lot of good organisms in your soil? What services do they provide? And if you do have "dead soil", is it possible to use so-called "biofertilizers" to bring it back to life? Simon is the Chief Agronomist at Earth Alive Clean Technologies , a company that develops environmentally sustainabl...

Ben Caesar of Fiddlehead Nursery in Ontario shares his top perennial vegetables to grow and create a fantastic dinner menu featuring many of his favourite edible perennial plants. The host of the Orchard People  radio show and podcast is Susan Poizner of the fruit tree care education website www.orchardpeople.com .   Susan is the author of four books on fruit tree care. Learn more here: https://le...

Nikki Rothwell of Michigan State University's Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Centre talks about spotted wing drosophila (SWD). Unlike other fruit flies that target mostly rotting or fermenting fruit, SWD targets fruit right on the tree, laying their eggs in the young fruit and eventually turning it into a wormy mess. SWD targets a wide range of crops including cherries, apricots, plums r...

Learn from organic grower Terry Durham of riverhillsharvest.com about how to grow elderberries, what cultivars to choose, and to discover if growing these lovely plants can be a business opportunity for you too! The host of the Orchard People  radio show and podcast is Susan Poizner of the fruit tree care education website www.orchardpeople.com .   Susan is the author of four books on fruit tree c...

Fred Beaulieu, Ph. D., a mite expert and Research Scientist from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada talks about mites - the good, the bad and the ones you'll find in your fruit trees. This month's recommended resource is The Xerces Society Guide  Farming with Native Beneficial Insects: Ecological Pest Control Solutions .   The host of the Orchard People  radio show and podcast is Susan Poizner of th...

  Kari Peter, Ph. D of Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Centre , talks about Sudden Apple Decline (SAD) or Rapid Apple Decline, which has devastated orchards in Ontario, New York State, Washington and Pennsylvania.   Apple trees die for many reasons and diseases like fireblight can also spread quite rapidly. But this problem, which is called Sudden Apple Decline (SAD) or Rapid Apple Decline...

Lee Reich , PhD. author of Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden , shares some of the interesting fruits he grows on what he calls his "farmden" (which he says is more than a garden, and less than a farm) in New York state. The host of the Orchard People radio show and podcast is Susan Poizner of the fruit tree care education website http://www.orchardpeople.com .   Formerly known as the Urban Forestry...

Byron Martin, co-author of the book Growing Tasty Tropical Plants In Any Home, Anywhere talks about tropical fruits you can grow indoors where ever you live. Byron is the third generation owner of Logee’s Plants for Home and Garden and he specializes in cultivars that will perform well in a pot. Today Logee's grows over 1000 varieties of plants. The host of the Orchard People  radio show and podca...

You may grow your fruit trees organically - but are you growing organic fruit trees? In this episode, we speak with Taylor Ingram of Stark Bro's Nurseries and Orchards about their new line of organically grown fruit trees. The host of the Orchard People radio show and podcast is Susan Poizner of the fruit tree care education website http://www.orchardpeople.com .   Formerly known as the Urban Fore...

Autumn olive shrubs (Elaeagnus umbellata) are considered an invasive species in North America. One way to cut down on their spread is to harvest the fruit and reduce the seed. Dustin Kelly of Autumn Berry Inspired talks about how he forages for the highly nutritious berries these shrubs produce and creates jams, fruit leathers and other products that he can sell in his local markets. The host of t...

Teresa Marrone, author of The Beginner's Guide to Dehydrating Food, talks to us about making and using dried foods. We learn what types of home-grown or bought fruit are easiest to dehydrate, what types of tools you need to do the job, and she'll also share fantastic dried food recipes for candied fruit, trail mix, fruit leathers and more. The host of the Orchard People radio show and podcast is S...

Bob Bors, co-author of the book "Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens" and the head of the Fruit Breeding Program of the University of Saskatchewan talks about his favourite easy-to-grow berries that thrive in cold climates. The host of the Orchard People radio show and podcast is Susan Poizner of the fruit tree care education website http://www.orchardpeople.com .   Formerly known as the Urban Fores...

Adam Koziol of Earthgen Tree Nursery in Ontario explains why hazelnut trees are becoming increasingly popular both in the home garden and as a cash crop. He also discusses how the trees can be inoculated so that they produce valuable truffles as well as nuts. Also check out a pair of adjustable grip Corona Flexdial hand pruners (valued at $35.00) .   Watch the video version of the podcast here . T...

Dr Glynn Percival manages the UK and Ireland Bartlett Tree Research and Diagnostic Laboratory based at the University of Reading and talks about how new growth on willow trees that makes a mulch that boosts fruit tree health. He and his team have been studying single source mulches - which are made up of the bark and branches of just one species of tree (like willow or eucalyptus) and preliminary...

Brittany Wood Nickerson, author of The Herbal Homestead Journal and Recipes from the Herbalist's Kitchen , and founder and primary instructor of Thyme Herbal , talks about medicinal herbs that you can grow in your garden. The host of the Orchard People radio show and podcast is Susan Poizner of the fruit tree care education website http://www.orchardpeople.com .   Formerly known as the Urban Fores...

Animals can be an asset in your garden or orchard! This is such an interesting topic, Susan asks Gary from Reality Radio 101 and radio show listeners to join the discussion with celebrity farmer Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms , in this episode of The Urban Forestry Radio Show and Podcast. ABOUT Orchard People, formerly known as the Urban Forestry Radio Show from germination in January 2016 until D...

Entomologist Stephen A. Marshall, who teaches entomology at The University of Guelph in Ontario is the author of the classic tome Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity . And he has just completed a new book Beetles: the Natural History and Diversity of Coleoptera . In this episode he talks about aphids and the damage they can do to your fruit trees and fruiting shrubs. ABOUT Orchard People,...

Garden writer Ben Cullen talks about about the importance of choosing the right fruit tree pruning tools and maintaining them properly to ensure your pruning cuts don’t damage your tree. Additional resources: You can see a video of this show here . Learn more about pruning and training fruit trees here . ABOUT Orchard People, formerly known as the Urban Forestry Radio Show from germination in Janu...

Professor David Granatstein of Washington State University's Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources about the best types of mulch for your fruit trees. Click here for a full article on mulching fruit trees and the various mulch options. ABOUT Orchard People, formerly known as the Urban Forestry Radio Show from germination in January 2016 until December 2023, has grown over the yea...

The guest host of the Urban Forestry Radio Show and Podcast will be horticulturalist and award-winning author Steven Biggs talks to Cary Cloud, co-owner of Olive Tree Growers nursery in north-central Florida about container-growing large, potted, specimen olive trees. ABOUT Orchard People, formerly known as the Urban Forestry Radio Show from germination in January 2016 until December 2023, has gro...