Sunday, January 18, 2009

Espalier Line



The trees will be grown in an espalier (es-pal-yer) fashion. They will be trained similar to a grapevine in a 2-Dimensional manner. The diagram above shows some common espalier patterns. We're shooting for example "a". In order to do this, a support system needs to be constructed to train the young branches on. 1st the redwood posts were cut by Scott. See the cool obelisk angles? He did that Saturday. Sunday, we needed to get them set in the ground and level. Lines were tied. Levels were used (4 different types). Then, the posts were put in place. We'll see Monday if the clay soil they were set in has dried and will be strong enough for the next step.




3 eye bolts will be drilled into each post about 15" apart. From the eye bolts, sturdy wire will be strung similar to a clothesline on its end. The limbs of the trees will be trained along those lines. I'll post more about espalier as we move along.



Today, gravel is being brought in for the vegetable garden paths.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello! I got onto your site with an interest in beginning some espelliere. I wondered how yours is turning out? Worth the effort? :)

MAYBELLINE said...

6 trees were planted almost 4 years ago to form an espalier fence line. 1 nectarine has been replaced. All others (including the new nectarine) are thriving. The only trees that haven't produced fruit are the pear and the new nectarine. I like how they have matured. You can see all the posts regarding espalier by clicking on the "espalier" label listed on the right side of this site.