Uncommon Fruits, Uncommonly Ripe & Delicious

Moth Control

Airborne insect pests are generally controlled with pheromone traps, pheromone mating disruption or, as pictured, food lure traps.  (This one, hanging in a Warren Pear tree to control Codling Moth, is filled with a watery mixture of applesauce, cider vinegar, molasses and sudsy ammonia.) 

Ant Patrol

To thwart the invasive Argentine Ants which carry aphids into trees, I wrap the tree trunks and periodically spray these wraps with pyrethrin, a natural plant-derived insecticide.   Many other bugs are killed by smothering them with sprays of soapy water. 

Growing Organically

While my orchard is not certified organic, I utilize organic methods as much as possible. To conserve water, I irrigate with a drip system and keep the soil covered with wood chips derived mostly from my own prunings. My goal is to sustainably produce fruit that you can enjoy free from worry about toxic residues. 


Pollination

For pollination, I employ my own honeybees, 
descended from locally-adapted swarms,
and house them in Warre-inspired hives.