Visiting the Highlander Center

Highlander recently acquired a 500 tree orchard (mostly apple, some peach) that they would really like to transition into an organic orchard.  It has not been organic up to this point, approximately 25 years of herbicides and pesticides have been applied to the trees.  This has really depleted the soil, so even though we don’t know much about being orchardists, we were trying to brainstorm ways of putting nutrients back into the soil…cover crops such as clover and rye.  We learned some interesting things about growing apple trees – there is an old method used at this particular one where when pruning trees, the owner used to paint the spots that had been pruned, and the tree trunk too.  This apparently keeps insects from burrowing into the tree, but the downside is that the trees may not be able to use their own defenses to keep them out.

We have learned a lot about the importance of crop rotation and what happens when monocultures exist, and so we started wondering if there exists such a thing as a monoculture orchard.  If the entire thing is only one variety, does that mean it becomes more and more prone to insects over time, since orchards don’t move during their existence?  If you planted several varieties, interspersed within the orchard, would this keep particular insects from becoming too overwhelming?  From what Highlander has observed thus far, it seems that the answer is yes.  It seems a key tool in planning an orchard is varying the type of apple, and also considering which way the wind blows, for the wind will help keep out many harmful insects too.

On a less agricultural note, the truck got stuck in the mud.  I’m not sure why we own a truck without 4-wheel drive, but as I was turning a particularly sharp left turn to head up the hill, I accidentally went into a small ditch that was camouflaged by grass.  I immediately felt the truck sink…glug glug…into the mud.  We tried planks of wood, sitting over the wheels to add more weight, but eventually a lovely old tractor owned by Highlander came and pulled us out.  I think it is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. -Claire

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The Highlander Center is really not at all what I had expected. In my mind, I imagined a developing orchard, garden, and retreat center. I was ignorant of much of the rich history of the Highlander Center–its role in the labor, civil rights, and environmental movements of the 20th century–and did not expect to find a thriving educational complex situated at the top of a hill with a picturesque view.

We arrived in the rain to find the surrounding hills shrouded in fog, and met up with Jonna and Jenny, two interns in charge of the newly aquired apple orchard and farm garden, respecitively. Jenny explained many of her growing practices, gave us plenty of good ideas for projects to implement at Beardsley (compost tea and vertical gardening, among others), and spoke of her hope to weave food policy and justice into the mission and history of Highlander. Jonna talked with us about her work in the newly-acquired 500-tree apple orchard, and her desire to transition the orchard from “conventional” to organic practices. As we have just recently planted of handful of new apple trees at Beardsley, we are very interested in learning what she finds out, and working together whenever possible.

All in all, our visit was a huge success, and will hopefully lay the foundation for a fruitful relationship between the Highlander Center and Beardsley Comminuty Farm. -Graham

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