Growing Fruit Organically in

Northwest Arkansas

Guy K. Ames, Horticulture Specialist

In the beginning…

2

What are fruits and why are they so appealing? Botany of Desire! Why perennials?And why in the Ozarks?

So why is it so danged difficult???

• Diseases and insects uncontrollable…and the heat—whew!

• Organic controls expensive and too often ineffective

• Some of our soils are poorly suited for fruit plants

• Big-box stores offer wrong varieties on wrong roots

• Cultural prejudices??? What should we be growing?

Remedy:

• Try “unusual” species • Get the right varieties on the

right roots• Shade; evaporative cooling;

mulch; choose north slopes• Berm, ditch, fracture, amend

• Optimize water retention• ACCEPT SOME DAMAGE—

change our notions of beauty and health. Local & fresh trumps!

Very difficult to grow organically in the Ozarks: • Most apple varieties

• Most pear varieties• All peaches, plums unless…• Most bunch grapes, but…• Raspberries w/o shade• Cherries…except “tart”• Quince, cranberry,

lingonberry, currant, etc.• Kiwifruit, pomegranates,

guava… yet

Serious and Common Apple Problems in AR & OKLA:1. Summer rots2. Plum curculio3. Fireblight4. Cedar apple rust5. Deer, squirrels6. Borers!7. Heat8. Fly speck & sooty blotch9. Poor soil

Serious and Common Pear Problems in the Ozarks: fireblight, fireblight, and fireblight…

Serious & Common Peach Problems in the Ozarks

• Brown rot!!!• Plum curculio!!• Peachtree borers!• Bacterial spot• Oriental fruit moth• June beetles• Bacterial canker• Root rots• Peach leaf curl

Serious and Common Grape Problems in the Ozarks

1. Black rot2. Black rot3. Black rot4. Downy mildew5. Powdery mildew6. Grape root borer7. Grape berry moth 8. Eutypa +

phomopsis=dead arm9. Birds10.June and Japanese

beetles

Do Grow:• Persimmons• Strawberries• Blueberries if …• Select Munson

grapes• Elderberries• Select apple

varieties on MM.111

• Blight-resistant pears on calleryana or ??

• Muscadines• Jujubes

Do Grow (cont.):

• Blackberries (U of A !!!)• Pawpaws! • Juneberries• Tart cherries (if soil…)• Raspberries w/shade …• Peaches and plums IF • Gooseberries• Experiment with: cold-

hardy figs, zombie fruit and other heat-tolerant plants

More specifically:PEARS Europeans: Magness & Blake’s PrideMaxine PotomacPineappleTysonKeiffer & Seckel* Asians: ShinkoKorean GiantKoyamaClear Moon*Seuri*

More specifically…

APPLES (on MM-111):

• Arkansas Black• King David* • Arkansaw • Pristine• Williams Pride• Enterprise• Florina• Liberty *• Orleans*

More specifically (cont):

GRAPES: • Carman• Champanel• America (& other

Munson varieties?)• Edelweiss & Swenson

Red• Mars* & others

w/organic copper

Pest and Disease Management• Right varieties • Right site or modify • Be watchful—direct action!• Be patient w/beneficials• Seldom intervene; right tool

at the right time• Diversify and prevent• Accept some damage

Eco-logical Pest Management?• “Bringing knowledge to bear in a timely fashion.” • “Tolerance” vs. “resistance” – keep plants healthy …• But remember: “pests” have their own imperatives!

Processing as Part of Pest Management

Experiment?

Soils and Fertility

• Heavy clay soils

• Rock• Weathered • Low fertility

(“ultisol”)• Low O.M.• Organic

fertilizers expensive

Soils and Fertilizers (cont.)• Solutions:

– Right plant/right roots– Fracture, ditch, & berm– Add O.M. but …– Mulch heavily– Source local fertilizers

and mulch– Adjust pH as per soil

test

summary • Get the right plant from the start!!!

• Common sense pest control

• Mix it up/diversify• Know your soil and

adjust accordingly• Always mulch• Accept some damage

ATTRA publications on fruit:Access: attra.ncat.org or 1-800-346-9140• Tree Fruits: Organic Production Overview• Apples: Organic Production Guide • Blueberries: Organic Production • Grapes: Organic Production • Organic Culture of Bramble Fruits• Climate Change and Perennial Fruits and Nuts: Investing in Resilience • Pawpaw — A "Tropical" Fruit for Temperate Climates • Peaches: Organic and Low-Spray Production• Pears: Organic Production • Persimmons, Asian and American • Strawberries: Organic Production• Plums & Apricots: Organic Production• Community Orchards• Cherries: Organic Production

Thanks to DigIn! and NCAT

The End