Orchards and gardens

Planning an orchard

An orchard is a piece of land where fruit trees are grown. Since trees stay for many years, mistakes in planning are costly.

Choosing the site

• Suitable climate for the chosen fruit.
• Deep, well-drained, fertile soil; avoid hardpans and waterlogging.
• Assured irrigation, good transport and nearness to markets.
• Protection from strong winds: a windbreak of tall hardy trees (e.g. jamun, mango, shisham) is planted on the side facing the wind.

Layout systems

• Square system: trees at the four corners of a square; simple, allows cultivation in two directions. Most common.
• Rectangular system: rows farther apart than plants in a row; allows machinery between rows.
• Quincunx (diagonal) system: a square with an extra tree at the centre; the central tree is often a short-lived filler (e.g. papaya, guava) and nearly doubles plant number at first.
• Hexagonal (triangular) system: each tree at the corner of an equilateral triangle, six trees around one; accommodates about 15% more trees than the square system.
• Contour system: planting along contour lines on hill slopes to check erosion.

Planting is done in pits dug before the monsoon and filled with topsoil and manure.

Gardens

• Kitchen (nutrition) garden: a small plot near the house where vegetables and fruits are grown for family use, using kitchen waste water. Perennials (papaya, banana, drumstick, curry leaf) are placed on one side so they do not shade others; seasonal vegetables are rotated in the remaining beds.
• Ornamental garden: laid out for beauty with lawns, hedges, edges, flower beds, trees, shrubs, climbers and features such as rockeries. Styles include formal (symmetrical, geometric, e.g. Mughal gardens), informal (natural) and Japanese gardens.

Key points

• Square system is the simplest and most common.
• Hexagonal system holds about 15% more trees than square.
• Quincunx uses a central filler tree.
• Windbreaks protect orchards from hot and cold winds.
• Kitchen garden perennials go on the north side or one edge to avoid shading.

Exam tips

• Questions often give a description of a layout and ask its name.
• Remember contour planting is for slopes.