Edible Landscaping
Making the yard pay for itself.
Fruit tree and shrub sales increased by 65% this year (2016). I bring in about 15 each of 4 kinds of plums, 6 kinds of apples, 2 kinds of pears, and assorted small bush fruit. Some years I run out of some items. Some years I have extras. Unsold trees move to bigger containers in September.
To go forward here, we need to continue to participate actively in the local Fruit growers group, permaculture group, and back to the land/homesteading movements. This is mostly done through mailing lists and facebook groups. This is time consuming.
A second way forward is to sell larger specimens. This year some of my potted Norkents and Battleford's had actual apples on them. This is a big seller. It takes roughly 1-2 extra years to get fruit off a tree, but I suspect that people will pay $150 for such a tree instead of $80. Similarly with bush fruit, a #4 potted black currant with a pie's worth of fruit on it will sell better than a #2 with 23 berries
A third way forward is to become more cutting edge. Collect different cultivars, and do our own grafting. This puts us in the position of having what the customer is looking for. In particular the russians are doing interesting things with pears..
Finally, make an orchard, offer courses in grafting, pruning, general tree care. Also cider making, fruit drying, canning.
Lodgepole Pine in our front yard.
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Sherwood's Forests is located about 75 km southwest of Edmonton, Alberta. Please refer to the map on our Contact page for directions.