The "Dormant" Season in EarthWorks Orchards
by Bill Taylor

Our urban orchards are not as fully dormant as might first appear. During the winter months tree buds slowly grow whenever it gets much above freezing. The chill is actually necessary for many of the trees to fruit. The soil under the thick mulch around the trees is not totally frozen, and slow-moving microbes and larger creatures are gradually digesting it. The hazelnut buds are quite large now, and in late February, thin red ribbons will emerge -- the first flowers of the season.
At the end of March or very beginning of April, understory plants such as currants, gooseberries, and raspberries, will leaf out first. Long before this, however, humans will be active in the orchard, pruning dead, diseased, crossing, and crowded branches.

Insect eggs and pupae await the warm weather, ready to emerge and share in the life of the orchard, as what we fruit-centered folks classify as "beneficials" or "pests" or "inconsequentials". In fact, all of them are consequential; and it is for this reason that we do not spray poisons, but await what fruit we are given, aided by gentler meddling (traps, repellant sprays, and the encouraging of "beneficial" creatures).

In the meantime, happy winter to all!