Apple wall promises better yields for farmers

Two P.E.I. orchards are experimenting with a new way of growing apples that growers expect will double their production.

Barry Balsom, owner of Arlington Orchards, one of the largest orchards on the Island, has planted a fifth of a hectare of apple-wall trees. The trees are tied to galvanized poles, planted a metre apart, with the branches tied horizontally.

Because each tree is getting more sun, Balsom said, one acre (0.4 hectares) will produce about 75 bins of apples, compared to about 30 for an average orchard acre. Care for the trees is also easier.

"It takes you about a year to train someone really how to prune a tree, and this you could almost walk in and show them in a couple days," said Balsom.

Higher planting costs

One downside of the apple wall is the capital cost. Balsom will go from planting about 280 trees per hectare to more than 3,000.

"We're probably pushing over $40,000 an acre," said Balsom.

"It's a major investment on the head of the curve, but on the other side of the curve you're going to get your yield quicker, better yield and more productivity."

Balsom expects full production from the apple wall in four to five years. Picking will also be done on platforms instead of ladders, to increase efficiency.

Balsom said one of the reasons he's trying the method is because in about 10 to 15 years he expects many orchards will be moving to mechanized pickers, which will require apple walls.