Did you know that some of the fruits grown in the HOEC Community Orchard are in fact native to our region of the Pacific Northwest, or to North America at large? From the Blackcap Raspberry to the American Persimmon, some of our favorite fruits now in cultivation got their evolutionary start on lands we continue to share with their wild relatives. Read on for a brief roundup of some of our favorite indigenous fruiting plants from the Orchard’s collection, and come visit us to learn more about them! Evergreen Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) This wild relative of the blueberry (also in the Vacci ..read more

Spirits, Mischief, Medicine, & Recipes! Those lovely edible (when cooked) clusters of tiny, jewel-like fruits we call Elderberries come from a fruitful group of tree-like shrubs known through Europe, North America, and beyond as “Elders.” Spoiler alert! Elderberries aren’t berries, but a structure called a “drupe” and here at Home Orchard Education Center, we can’t stop singing the praises of this versatile shrub. Read on to learn everything you ever wanted to know about growing and utilizing this under-appreciated superfood. SKIP STRAIGHT TO OUR ELDERBERRY RECIPES! What’s In A Name? Samb ..read more

What to do with sun damaged fruit still hanging on the tree? Here in the Pacific Northwest, we recently experienced an extreme weather event that led many folks in our fruit growing community to ask questions like: “The fruit on my apple, pear, and plum trees were scalded during the extreme heatwave and have developed large blotchy spots and bleached areas.  My plums show similar markings and many are beginning to turn to mush. Should I remove all of the damaged fruit or just leave it alone? Is the fruit salvageable or is it all destined for the compost pile? How can I prevent this in th ..read more

Why are my peach leaves curling, cherry tree oozing, and what happened to the blossoms on my plum!? Some of the most common concerns we hear from students in spring, are questions related to troubleshooting stone fruits. If you aren’t sure what we mean by “stone fruit”, the answer is in the name.  Peaches, plums, cherries, apricots, nectarines, etc. Fruits with a “stone” in the center that contains the seed. In a perfect world, stone fruits would only be grown in an environment where their leaves could stay dry year round, their roots would live in only the most well drained soil, a ..read more

What’s that, you say? A Gummy Bear-y?!  Not quite. Unfortunately, we have yet to discover proof that our favorite gummy candies can be grown on trees, although that would be pretty amazing. We’re talking about the next best thing– this shrubby perennial from our edible landscaping section here at HOEC, which we think deserves greater notice and appreciation: Goumi Berry! A Shrub of Many Names Goumi Berry (Elaeagnus multiflora)— also known as Cherry Silverberry, Cherry Elaeagnus, Japanese Silverberry, Gumi, Daio-Gumi, and Natsugumi—is a deciduous, shrubby perennial native to China, Japan ..read more

An organic orchardist's guide to thinning fruitlets Have you been growing fruit for a while but haven’t found the trick to producing consistent or highly tasty fruit? Perhaps you’ve moved onto a property with some established fruit trees and are still learning the best ways to care for them. Maybe you are wondering why your tree dumps loads of tiny fruitlets onto the ground before they ripen, only produces fruit every other year, or what you can do do help prevent pest and disease damage? If any of these situations sound familiar, then this post if for you! In order to understand why fruitlet ..read more

DID YOU THINK WINTER WAS A TIME OF REST? As we settle into the dormant season, (for the trees at least!) now feels like the perfect time to share a snapshot of our winter community orchard care routine. So lace up your waterproof boots, and dig out your warmest gloves, because we’re climbing right in and won’t be stopping until bud break! WINTER TASK LIST SUMMARY: ✔️ propagating ✔️ pruning ✔️ pollinator care ✔️ orchard health ✔️ scouting ✔️spraying (or not)   The orchard care outline that follows is a summary of tasks completed in the HOEC Arboretum each winter. Remember that your own ..read more

Suggestions from real people in your local orcharding community? Yes please!  Nothing for sale here, no affiliate links to sway these recommendations, just good old fashioned sharing of favorites. If you’ve lived in the Pacific Northwest for long, you know that keeping healthy & sane throughout our long, dark, damp winters is all about staying active, entertained, and creating a cozy nest to cuddle up in at the end of each mud filled day. No problem for the orcharding enthusiast! With plenty of interesting tasks to complete in the orchard year round, and a never ending supply of o ..read more

Aronia: aka black chokeberry / not to be confused with chokecherry An easy to grow native (to Eastern North America) berry, Aronia has been used by Indigenous Peoples for many centuries as an important superfood and potent medicine. Here in the Pacific Northwest, Aronia is hardy, prolific, not prone to pest or disease, and will please the wildlife as well.  We caution you not to dismiss this beautiful berry because you tried one fresh, and thought, ack - that’s a bit like sucking on the arm of a sweater! Aronia’s “dryness” is best remedied by combining with other ingredients. The berry ..read more

Spotlight on Spotted Wing Drosophila How does a new fruit grower know where to begin when it comes to pest control, and which damaging orchard critters should command a piece of your valuable attention? Depending where you live and what you grow the answer will vary, as every region comes with its own list of pests and diseases that are likely to inflict the most damage. Before we dive in to talk about today’s featured insect, we’d like to help you set the foundation for responsible pest & disease management practices by encouraging you to always proceed with care when designing your plan ..read more