Orchard Up-date June 2026
Updated: Aug 14
As Spring creeps along and slowly turns into summer, it's time to check on the orchard and see what has happened!
To recap: in early April, we planted a cover crop consisting of barley, field peas, and clover. Then, in late May, we planted a wind shelter row, which includes lilacs, buffalo berries, and a Canadian plum tree.
Cover Crop
There’s good and bad news with the cover crops.
Good news: The field peas are growing wonderfully! I’ve also noticed naturally established plants like subalpine mariposa lily, common yarrow, meadow hawk field pussytoes, Canadian bluegrass, sulphur cinquefoil, and other grasses that have grown in from the neighbors. It’s really cool to see the field peas climbing up the yarrow and the sulphur cinquefoil.
Bad news: Very little barley grew—maybe 15%—and the clover didn’t even try. At one point, I thought it would, but as the plants got bigger, I realized what I thought was clover was actually natural vegetation. This was a real bummer. I was really looking forward to seeing everything I planted pop up, but not this year.
June 25, 2026 Update! I was wrong! And I’m so excited to be wrong. The clover's success rate was at least 85%! I simply missed the clover growing. Normally, clover grows as a bushy ground cover, but due to the soil type and lack of moisture, they grew into tall, narrow stalks with barely any leaves. I assumed they were more of the natural growth until last night when they started budding! And they are everywhere! I am very happy to be wrong. This goes to show that things will grow in unexpected ways.
What Went Wrong?
So, where did we go wrong?
First off, we planted at the wrong time. The field where we’re planning to plant an orchard is gravelly and not irrigated. We needed to ensure we planted during a rainy spell. Since we don’t have a seed drill, the seeds mostly sat on the surface. This meant they needed to stay moist for at least a week straight. Unfortunately, the two weeks after we planted were dry and hot. If we had planted two weeks earlier (when I originally wanted to) or three weeks later, we might have had better success. Or if we had irrigated—but I really wanted to avoid that.
Additionally, due to the poor soil, the seeds would have benefited from a top dressing of compost or good soil. Again, I wanted to try and do this with the least amount of inputs.
Does this make this a failure? Absolutely not. For me, this was a valuable learning lesson: pay more attention to the forecast before planting rather than planning based on the “right dates.” I need to put more effort into top dressing the seeds and consider that planting winter crops in the fall might be a better option for us. Clover might be better suited later on.
On top of the learning, we were still able to get field peas to grow—in dry, rocky soil, with minimal inputs—which is pretty amazing, to be honest. Those field peas are doing valuable work by absorbing atmospheric nitrogen and storing it in the soil. This means the next planting will be just a little bit easier!
Shelter Belt
Now, let’s talk about the shelter belt. This area is growing much better! A couple of differences here are:
I amended the soil around the starts with compost and potting soil to help give them a great start.
I added mulch to retain water.
It rained for three weeks after we planted, with cooler weather.
I ran a hose with a soaker hose attached to water when needed (which wasn't until this week).
I am so happy with how these are growing and thriving. My husband and I just topped up the trees with more fresh compost and a larger ring of mulch to ensure they continue to have the nutrients and water they need to survive.
Fruit Tree Trial
My husband has been very excited about getting an orchard started. On the edge of the site lines, we planted three fruit trees. These trees are having a rough go, but they’ve been a great tool for observation.
When we dug the holes and planted them, we noticed that the disturbed ground turns into concrete once it settles again—which is not good for growing. This reduces air and water absorption and makes it incredibly difficult for roots to travel, as well as for nutrients and microbes to do their job. So, we will have to continually add compost and nutrients to the surface to ensure the trees have what they need to survive.
What this showed me is that I’m glad I trusted my instincts and did not allow the field to be tilled. A few people told me that I needed to till that hill to do anything. But after my soil tests and spending time on the land, observing all the natural vegetation, I decided against it. If I had tilled, the whole hillside would have turned into a concrete pad.
This is why observation and gentle adaptations are so important in permaculture. It allows you to make small mistakes and adjustments over time, so you don’t face big setbacks that take even longer to fix. Moving forward, we now know that tilling is not the right option at this time.
What Now?
For now, we let things grow. This week, my husband and I weed-whacked around the shelter belts and trees while adding more amendments to give them some breathing room without harming the plants. This is something we’ll have to do again at the end of summer—possibly sooner.
Next, we wait for the field peas to mature. They haven’t started producing flowers and peas yet, and they may never do so due to the lack of nutrients in the soil. If they do, then before the plants produce fully mature peas, we will mow the hill. This will allow all of the stored nitrogen in the peas, as well as the accumulated nutrients from the surrounding natural habitat, to form a mulch on the soil and break down—releasing those nutrients into the soil below. By creating this mulch through cutting, we’ll still allow the natural vegetation to keep growing and create a water-buffering layer to help retain more moisture in the soil.
Then, in the fall, we will plant our second cover crop. This time, the mowed mulch and added nutrients will create a better buffer from the elements and reduce water evaporation. For my winter cover crop, I’m increasing biodiversity as well. I haven’t fully decided what yet—probably winter wheat and rye, daikon radishes, vetch, and clover. I’ll update you all when the time comes!
But for now, I get to rest and just let the field do what it’s going to do for the remainder of the summer.
Thanks for following along!
The Chronically Tired Gardener
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