Cider Chat 373: Orchard Tips for Cold Climates
Jul 12, 2023
01:15:17
Orchardist Ben Applegate on cold climate orchard care
Ben is the Orchard Manager at Eden Specialty Cider based in northern Vermont and shares his insight on cold climate apple varieties and orchard tips. This chat took place at Eden's orchards based in what is known as the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont in the town of West Charleston.
Ben Applegate
There are 50 Apple varieties at the Eden orchard. Here is a list of just some of the apples discussed in this episode:
- Newton Pippin
- Liberty
- Stembridge Cluster
- Rubinette
- Northern Spy
- Trembletts Bitter
Ben discusses which varieties work well in a cold climate, while recommending that as the temperatures continue to rise both in Vermont and globally, he advises to plant trial apples for the changes ahead.
Tips for new orchardists- Why you should do a Soil test before planting and what to do with that knowledge
- Why pruning too early can offset young trees
- Which apple tree damaging insects to worry about
- We learn about the challenges faced by the young apple trees, such as sun scald and fluctuating temperatures
- Scythe and Biological Mowing
- How climate change is affecting traditional production of Ice Cider, which is made by freezing apple juice on the coldest days of the year to freeze the water and then ferment the pure apple juice into what is known as Ice Cider.
- How acidity of the soil directly affects the acidity of the apples
- Selection of apple varieties and rootstock is crucial
- Dwarf tree management
- Incorporating composted teas for apple trees
- The impact of author Micheal Phillips' work
Contact for Ben Applegate
Website: http://edenciders.com
email: mailto:ben@edenciders.com
Mentions in this Chat
- New York Apple Camp July 28th-30th, 2023 Registration is open!