Customer Reviews

The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist

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The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist
by Michael Phillips, 320 pages, 8x10, softcover, 2nd
edition. Whether you consider yourself to be a novice
or an experienced orchardist, if you want to grow
apples organically, this is the book for you. For many
decades apples were high in toxic residues, but
thankfully, that is finally changing. A great deal of
research is underway on lessening the use of synthetic
poisons in the orchard. The results in the past few
years are heartening. Since The Apple Grower first
appeared seven years ago two important products for
the organic orchardist, Surround and Entrust, have
become available. It is now quite possible to grow
very decent apples organically. This revised and
expanded version includes apple growing basics from A
to Z, as well as the latest research and strategies
for successful organic orcharding. A lot of us have
been begging Michael to update his book and we're
thrilled with the result. He has read the studies,
done the interviews, tested the products and found an
effective way a way to organize the information and
communicate it to the rest of us. Even if you already
have the first edition, you still need this
substantial revision.

I LOVE this book.

I'm particularly impressed with the density of information: too many hobby farm/small farm books take a once-over-lightly approach, but this one is deep on detail. I also appreciate the discussion of seedling trees: typically I've seen them ignored or dismissed as irrelevant. The discussion of root stock is a help too; before this I've seen it only discussed in terms of it's limiting factor on size, but this also introduces issues of hardiness and climate appropriateness. The book is incredibly thorough while reminding the reader that there are no "cook books" to growing organic orchards, it's still an art and science that is being developed.

I spent the first few years of my life on an old-fashioned orchard and have never recovered. Now, after 30 big-city, corporate years the world is circling back to the kind of orchard I've always longed to have, and this book is filled with invaluable information on how to proceed. Next year I'm headed back to the country, this book in hand, to make a home and create a backyard cider orchard. I know it's hard work and the best of it may happen after I'm gone, but this book gives me the courage to begin and information to guide me as I figure it out.

I hope within 5 - 10 years I'll be toasting the author with my own apple cider!

I think this a very well written, well laid out book that could help you get started in the apple orchard business. The thing that I find most interesting about this book is that you don't need to be dedicated to organic methods to learn an enormous amount from this book. It is full of general information to aid in the whole process of growing apples.

I have only read the first few chapters, (and have browsed ahead), but so far it's great! They really go into detail about how apple trees grow.
It reads a little like a textbook, but not too dry. We have 9 apple trees in Mid-Missouri and are hoping to expand and improve in the future. I think this book will be a big help. If you just have a couple trees in your yard and just want to know how to prevent disease, repel bugs, or what fertilizer to use, this book may be a little more in-depth than what you're looking for. No doubt you would find useful information here, but it may be a little more detail than you needed.

I've heard about this book for several years and it is truly a must read, everything I was led to anticipate. It is loaded with facts and experiential info. It's also fun to read. Don't be intimidated by how much info there is. Just use it and keep going back into it as you get more familiar with Michael's approach. I teach at The Meeting School, a little Quaker farm school in southern NH. I'm definitely using this book with my students from here on in. Happy orcharding.

This book offers a multitude of do-able, reasonable ways to grow apples organically without going totally nuts. I will be trying several of the ideas this year and hope/plan to outwit the apple maggots and codling moths. Besides being a great one-place source of info, The Apple Grower is beautifully and sensitively written--a nice read along with the suggested procedures.

I've been looking for a book with this much info on growing apple trees for a long time. Very thorough and well written. Would highly recommend for anyone looking to plant and care for apple trees whether you choose organic or traditional methods.

This is the most comprehensive book I have been able to find on Organic growing of fruit. Get the revised version, it is worth the money. I am in charge of a large community Garden's orchard and this book is a must have for what I do. I have applied the infromation over one season I found in this book and this will be the first year we will have a successful crop. John Cremati

Apple trees can be grown in almost any climate zone and are to be found in dozens of different variations around the world. Now with this newly revised and significantly expanded edition of Michael Phillips "The Apple Grower: A Guide For The Organic Orchardist", anyone can plant, nurture, and harvest organically grown apples of any variety whether it is for their own private consumption or for commercial distribution and sale. All relevant aspects are covered from considerations of climate and soil, to cultivar selection and planting, to orchard maintenance and care, to apple pests, diseases and spraying, to harvesting, storage, and transportation, to marketing locally (including pricing, niche marketing, advertising, and more). Informed, informative, and thoroughly 'user friendly', Michael Phillips' "The Apple Grower" is necessary reading and an essential reference for anyone seeking to grow, harvest, consume, and/or sell organic apples.

This is a great book. Indispensible for anyone attempting to grow organic apples. The one drawback is the book is somewhat disorganized and some information is hard to decipher. In any case, I constantly refer to this book in my organic orcharding. A must have for Organic Orcharding!