Building My Little Orchard, One Drum at a Time
Building My Little Orchard, One Drum at a Time
How it started
This orchard started for a simple reason.
My kids and I like blueberries, and I wanted a way to grow some ourselves instead of always buying them. I also liked the idea of being able to walk outside and pick some when they were ready.
That was the starting point.
At first the blueberries were in small pots, but later I moved them into cut-down drums so they had more room and so I could add companion plants later on.
Why it’s at the front of the house
The orchard sits at the front of the house because that’s the space I had available.
It also helps break up the front of the unit a bit and gives some privacy to the bedroom window. Because I work away from home from Monday to Thursday, I also needed the setup to be able to manage without daily hand-watering. That meant irrigation was always going to be part of it.
What I’ve got growing so far
At the moment I’ve got rose blueberries, a dwarf Valencia orange, and a dwarf Lemonicious lemon.
The blueberries are about three years old now and are finally producing properly. The orange and lemon are newer and still getting established, but they’re part of the longer-term plan for the area.
What I learned about watering
One of the main things I’ve learned is that fruit trees need water around the root zone, not just at the base of the trunk.
At first I was watering too close to the middle. Later I changed it to a ring of irrigation with three outlets so the water reached further out where the roots actually are.
I also underestimated how much water the blueberries would need once summer heat really set in, so I increased their watering as the season went on.
Getting the blueberries right
Blueberries have needed the most adjustment so far.
They like acidic soil, so I switched from using straw mulch to pine needles and started adding a bit of used coffee grounds as well. So far they seem to be handling that well.
It’s still a work in progress, but that’s part of it. Each season gives me a better idea of what works.
The heat at the front is a problem
The location has one big downside.
The drums sit on concrete, and there are white stones nearby as well. Both reflect heat back onto the plants, especially in the hotter part of the day. The blueberries feel that quickly.
I put up 50% shade cloth to help with that. For now it seems to be enough, but I may need to upgrade it later.
The shade cloth caused another problem
The citrus flowers turned out to be more delicate than I expected.
Because the shade cloth is attached with bungee cords, it moves around in the wind. That movement ended up knocking off most of the flowers from the orange tree. One fruit hung on for a while, but later that got knocked off too.
It was frustrating, but the tree is still young, so it may be better for it to focus on growing properly first.
What I want to add next
I’ve now got three feijoas ready to add, and I’m looking forward to getting them into drums as well.
They’re a bit of a reminder of home, because we used to have feijoa trees growing where I grew up. I also want to add limes because I actually use them, and pink lady apples because they’re a favourite with both me and the kids.
What comes next
The next step is to move the citrus into cut-down drums as well and give them the same ring-style irrigation.
The feijoas will be potted up and added into the system too. I’ll probably also upgrade the shade cloth to 70% or 80% and possibly add extra protection from the side where the afternoon sun comes in.
Where it’s at now
The orchard is still small, but it’s moving in the right direction.
It started with blueberries. Now there are lemons and oranges as well, with feijoas, limes, and apples planned next. It’s not finished, but it’s working, and that’s enough for now.
