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Have gardens beds, now for an espalier orchard

Posted in Espalier, Garden Plans on July 18, 2012| Leave a Comment »

It’s been a long time since the last update and the garden has been through a lot.
As it turns out, we didn’t have soil, which is why things weren’t surviving.
So after great expense, all the builders rubble has been excavated and replaced with real soil. A landscaper also rescued our front garden and now it looks like a real garden!

Now for the backyard. The landscaper also built me some lovely garden beds (mostly a low edge) and created a lawn in the middle.
It’s not a very good drawing I’m afraid, the green lines match the measurements. The deep bed along the back fence is 900ml deep and the side beds are 600ml deep.

There is an additional 600ml deep bed opposite the Alfresco area (which is under the roof line and does not get direct sunlight). It backs onto a fence which does not get full sun as there’s a two storey house on the other side of the fence which blocks quite a bit of sun. The first plants in the new veggie garden was some garlic from Diggers (picked up at the garden show, along with Diggers Club membership), opposite the Alfresco area.

Eventually I’ll have raised beds in the middle of the lawn also (maybe Birdies, anyone using these?), but trying to start with the boundaries and the espalier orchard.
Depending on how many veggies fit in around the orchard, I’m guessing I’ll need at least four raised beds, but maybe more or maybe I’ll have to cut the list.
The brick wall gets very hot of an afternoon and I’m not sure planting anything close to it is a good idea, as it may not survive the reflected heat (especially in summer). I’m wondering though, if that heat could be used for a tropical microclimate. It’s warm during the day, but I’m not sure how much heat is retained overnight.

Trees I’d like to espalier (this may be too many for the space):

Apples
Pears
Figs
Blood Oranges
Oranges
Lemons
Tahitian Lime
Kaffir Lime
Cherries – regular and sour
Apricots
Plums
Nectarine
Peach
Bay Tree – not sure if this is possible
Nut Trees – not sure if these can be grown as espalier? If so, Hazelnuts and Almonds.
Olives – Still researching these, while they look easy to grow, I’m not sure they’re as easy to preserve/use and I’m looking for a productive garden.
Finger Lime – if there’s room
Ruby Grapefruit – if there’s room (I prefer blood oranges)