373: Orchard Tips for Cold Climates

Orchardist Ben Applegate on cold climate orchard care

Ben is the Orchard Manager at Eden Specialty Cider based in northern Vermont and shares his insight on cold climate apple varieties and orchard tips. This chat took place at Eden's orchards based in what is known as the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont in the town of West Charleston. 

Ben Applegate

There are 50 Apple varieties at the Eden orchard. Here is a list of just some of the apples discussed in this episode: 

• Newton Pippin
• Liberty
• Stembridge Cluster
• Rubinette
• Northern Spy
• Trembletts Bitter

Ben discusses which varieties work well in a cold climate, while recommending that as the temperatures continue to rise both in Vermont and globally, he advises to plant trial apples for the changes ahead.

Tips for new orchardists

• Why you should do a Soil test before planting and what to do with that knowledge
• Why pruning too early can offset young trees
• Which apple tree damaging insects to worry about

In this Cider Chat episode:

• We learn about the challenges faced by the young apple trees, such as sun scald and fluctuating temperatures
• Scythe and Biological Mowing
• How climate change is affecting traditional production of Ice Cider, which is made by freezing apple juice on the coldest days of the year to freeze the water and then ferment the pure apple juice into what is known as Ice Cider.
• How acidity of the soil directly affects the acidity of the apples
• Selection of apple varieties and rootstock is crucial
• Dwarf tree management
• Incorporating composted teas for apple trees 
• The impact of author Micheal Phillips' work

Contact for Ben Applegate

Website: http://edenciders.com

email: mailto:[email protected]

Mentions in this Chat

• New York Apple Camp July 28th-30th, 2023 Registration is open!