Most backyards in the 50’s and 60’s were abundant with fruit trees, vegetable gardens and chickens.
When my mother was growing up in that Era, her backyard consisted all of the above. Her memory is very vivid on how the fruits straight off the trees tasted and smelled then to how the store bought fruits taste and smell now.
My mother’s acute sense of smell and taste is my life saver as she would not eat some of the fruit or vegetables we bought from the shops. Her complaint was that they didn’t smell or taste right.
With food prices rising and the knowledge of how long store bought fruit and vegetables has been stored for before consumers get their hands on them, as well as the fact they have been sprayed with and grown in toxic chemicals, my mother and I talked about self sufficient living by growing our own fruit and vegetables.
The Home Orchard Handbook: A Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruit Trees Anywhere by authors Cem Akin and Leah Rottke is a start for beginners who want to learn how to grow organic fruits.
Easy step-by-step instructions will show you how to prepare soil, where to plant, which planting solutions are suitable for small urban/suburbia yards, what trees can be grown in ceramic pots, the best manure (animal dung/poo) to use and much more.
Where to Order
You can purchase The Home Orchard Handbook: A Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruit Trees at one of the following online stores:
Amazon – Available as a paperback edition or via digital download through their Kindle Store.
Barnes & Noble – Can be purchased in digital format via NOOK or bought as a paperback copy.
eBay – Sold by book sellers located in the Australia, the U.K. and U.S. Worldwide Shipping.
Please note that a portion of the sale of this book is donated to The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation (FTPF), an award winning International charity that are committed to planting fruitful trees and plants to reduce world hunger.
Their aim is to provide a healthier environment which will improve the air, soil and water quality for communities to live in.
For more information on the FTPF, please visit www.ftpf.org
About the Authors
Cem Akin is a photographer, film maker and the executive director of the award winning International non-profit organization ‘The Fruit Tree Foundation’.
Leah Rottke is a certified ISA Arborist; a graduate of the Consulting Academy for the American Society of Consulting Arborists and has 25 years of landscape management. Ms. Rottke volunteers some of her time to The Fruit Tree Foundation.
Why grow your own mini-orchard?
- Fresh is best
- Save money
- Less trips to the shops means less pollution
- Fruit trees offer us more than just food. They filter the air; produce oxygen and reduce carbon monoxide. Fully matured trees give us natural shade
- A great way to share an over abundance of fruit with family, friends and neighbors.
Community Orchards
Since 1992 community orchards have been cropping up over the globe. If this may be of interest to you, then find out whether there is one operating in your area.
Communities.gov.uk – Community Orchards. How to Guide: Setting Up Your Own Community Orchard. PDF file.
Did you know?
Carnivore’s (meat eating animals) manure (poo) is not the best manure to use to fertilise your fruit trees. I learnt that using plant residues such as “green compost” is a better option. An exception to the rule would be to use the manure from animals that feed on organic pastures/plants.
You might like to read:
Choice.com.au: “Fresh Food Tricks”. “Choice” reveal the tricks producers and supermarkets use to keep food looking fresh.
