crunchy bits

My honey took the kids to a UCONN hockey game and open skate afterwards today, so I was able to do some final research on growing some fruit in our yard this year.  We had considered planting apple trees, but my research concerning  growing apples organically in CT left me discouraged. Apple trees are prone to damage from several insects and diseases in this area, and while  it is possible to keep them at bay or to a minimum, I’m not willing to divert my limited time and efforts to the required tasks at this point.

Thus, I focused on the more expensive fruits we consume — berries. High in antioxidants and vitamins, frozen organic berries are expensive. Our local Shaws carries 10oz bags of organic raspberries for $4.69.  Sometimes we can find them on sale, but even then they’re more expensive pound for pound than most other fruits we buy. In general, berry bushes are less susceptible to disease and easier to care for than fruit trees.

I was hoping to find a relatively local organic supplier but had no luck. If you know of one in the southern New England area, please let me know! I pored over the Stark Bro’s (fruit tree/bush supplier to Ballek’s Garden Center in East Haddam, a personal favorite) and Fedco Trees catalogs, but both are far enough away to face different climate challenges than mine. In the end, I chose a nursery in Western MA called Nourse Farms in Deerfield, MA. The kids have been asking to revisit Magic Wings and I’ve wanted to explore  Historic Deerfield, which are nearby so I saved the shipping and opted to pick up my order at the farm.  I opted to save an additional 10% and order the combination since I had all 3 varieties of blueberries in my cart already. I did the same with the raspberries, although I confess I had only planned on getting two varieties.

I also rediscovered a nursery I’d found last year while looking into edible landscaping and permaculture.  Tripple Brook Farm, located in Southampton, MA, has a large selection of unusual or native edible landscape plants that are hardy in our area, and am hoping to arrange a tour of their place this spring. Comment below if you’re interested. Like many nurseries, they give a discount if you buy more of a species, so if you aren’t interested in a visit to the farm but want something specific, I would be happy to coordinate a group buy of popular varieties as well, along the lines of the bulk seed buy we did last year.

I found it to be relatively difficult to find detailed information about growing fruits organically online outside of this diverse resource: the ATTRA National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service Master Publication List for organic growing guides. Lots to chew on there. Support for growing organically can be found in the Connecticut chapter of the Northeast Organic Farmer’s Association (CTNOFA) Resources for Gardeners.

Happy growing!