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Fruit & Orchards

Fruit/nut trees for a rocky hillside

15 years ago

I am trying to gather options for fruit and nut trees for a relatively dry, rocky hillside. The land slopes to the south but probably won't get full sun, which is somewhat of a blessing in Alabama. The land is currently forested with ample red buckeye, dogwood, some stunted cedar and another tall straight tree I've yet to identify. There's a hickory nearby but I haven't spotted it yet. Understory natives include crossvine, upright honeysuckle and some delightful trillums. Silty clay, pH is 7.0 (I expect I'll need to bring it down) and organic matter is low. Bedrock is about 20" down.

I am clearing part of the site for a house and thinning the southern corner for a lawn and garden area. Any fruit trees I plant will be terraced so they at least have a flat area for water and nutrient absorption.

The only options I have some up with so far are persimmons, chinquapin or chestnut, and maybe apple trees. Blueberries and hazelnuts are also contenders in the shrub category and blackberries do well everywhere here. Muscadine vines are another local hardy fruit.

We have good local apple orchards which produce quality fruit for cheap, so I'd prefer to find something else.

Any other ideas?

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Comments (4)

imred
15 years ago
Plums are always good and if you will check ripening times you can have a 3 month harvest with the right varieties. You might try a peach if your orchard is going to be near the top of the hill. If lower you will have to contend with late frosts.
RED
alan haigh
15 years ago
Most fruit trees do fine at a 7 pH.

If I were you I'd seek local advice to find out what's doable and how hard. You can talk to your local orchardists contact your cooperative extension and maybe someone on this site is fairly close to you.
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Living as I do in a region similar to that described, the issues are: Soil pH is apt to be on the high side. Select plants able to handle high pH. Some species actually prefer this condition and like the easy access to calcium/magnesium. Soil depth. Sure, if there's in fact a solid layer four or six inches under the surface, planting will be difficult. Yet nature would plant such a spot with ease. So I second the notion to look around you and see what's working. And if it is in fact a solid layer, as opposed to a broken up and fractured thing, that will influence the size of plant you can install. Water. Such a site may be very wet-an induced high water table, or, it may drain rapidly, via cracks in the karst bedrock (if present). You will have to pay attention to how rapidly things dry out. Lots of plants can handle these situations. Start by observing. And while probably not native to your area, Thuja occidentalis actually prefers sites like you describe. Many places in NE WIsconsin -this tree is surviving and thriving on little more than straight dolomite (limestone) rock, especially in the vacation wonderland of Door County, where numerous examples can be seen growing on cliffs, etc. +oM
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nicoleinhsv
Original Author
15 years ago
I've checked with the extension office. They are very knowledgeable about the typical clay loam farmland around here, but really didn't have anything to say about the foothills area.

I hadn't thought about plums, that's a great idea. Various Prunus species grow well in this area.

I think sticking with plants that are either native or well adapted to the conditions is my best bet. That, and starting with young trees to give them a chance to develop their roots.
calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
15 years ago
My orchard is on a rocky hillside and seems happy growing there. The same trees are growing down in the valley on level ground. The difference is the amount of work I must do. Picking from a ladder on a hillside is not easy. Therefor I try to keep my trees short. Using my tractor on a hillside is dangerous, and the roll bars to protect me in case of a rollover will not fit under a short tree. I am forced to cultivate with a roto tiller, not easy on a hillside. My soil is clay/loam and takes rain without runoff and is not subject to slides. I hope this gives you something to think about. Al

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