Apples 101: Apple College
We're happy to be able to find a venue where we can
adequately explore the world of apples and tailor the class
to both the novice home gardener and the orchard owner.
The course will cover:
Apple History and Varieties
When pioneers staked out a new
homestead, often the first thing they would do is plant an
apple orchard. We will explore the history of apples in
America and the important place they had in pioneer life,
including our local mountains.
It is sad that the more than 17,000
varieties of apples once cultivated in America by 1925 have
been condensed down to a half-dozen supermarket
varieties. We’ll look at a cross-section of apple
varieties, their uses, and discuss which ones are suitable
for warm climates like our hot inland valleys (you may be
surprised at which ones are).
Apples have more varieties of dwarfing
rootstocks available than all other tree fruits combined,
each with different purposes and characteristics. We will
explore these so you can decide which one is best for you
and your garden or orchard.
Apple Culture
Southern California is a wonderful
place to grow apples, and they are one of the easiest tree
fruits to grow. We will discuss planning, planting,
training, watering and fertilizing, pruning, pest and
disease control, fruit quality, and harvest. Special
emphasis is given to high-density planting and strategies
for growing many different varieties in very little space.
Hands-on Orchard and Grafting
Experience
One of the benefits of meeting at an
apple farm is being able to go into the orchard to see
examples up close and also get some hands-on grafting
experience. We will de-mystify this valuable and ancient
art and open up whole new horticultural worlds for you to
enjoy.
Itinerary:
10:00 to 10:45- History and Varieties
lecture and PowerPoint presentation
10:45 to 11:00 Break
11:00 to 12:00 Varieties and Rootstocks
12:00 to 1:00 Lunch (bring your own or
purchase from Riley’s)
1:00 to 1:45 Apple Culture
1:45 to 2:00 Break
2:00 to 3:00 Orchard tour and grafting
lab
Course Tuition: $75.00