About this item
Winner of the American Horticulture Society Book Award"Phillips first-hand knowledge anchors this innovative and highly readable book in practical wisdom that both beginner and long-time fruit growers will find invaluable." -- Toby Hemenway, author of Gaias GardenMany people want to grow fruit on a small scale but lack the insight to be successful orchardists. As The Holistic Orchard illustrates, growing tree fruits and berries is something virtually anyone can do. A holistic grower knows that producing fruit is not about manipulating nature but more importantly, fostering nature.The Holistic Orchard demystifies the basic skills everybody should know about the orchard ecosystem, focusing on:Orchard designSoil biologyOrganic health managementGraftingPlantingPruningChoosing the right varieties for your climateIncludes a step-by-step instructional calendar to guide growers through the entire orchard year!Fruit profiles include:pome fruits (apples, pears, asian pears, quinces) stone fruits (cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums) berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, gooseberries, currants, and elderberries) Phillips completely changed the conversation about healthy orcharding with his first bestselling book, The Apple Grower, and now he takes that dialogue even further by exploring:The connections between home orcharding and permacultureThe importance of native pollinatorsPlantings with shade-tolerant berry bushes and other insectary plantsInformation on cover crops and biodiversitySafe, homegrown solutions to pest and disease challengesAll along the way, Phillips expertise and enthusiasm for healthy growing shines through, as does his ability to put the usual horticultural facts into an integrated ecology perspective. With The Holistic Orchard in your hand you have every reason in the world to confidently plant that very first -- or next -- fruit tree!
About the Author
MICHAEL PHILLIPS (b.1946) , one of many in a rising generation of spiritual offspring of C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, and the legacy of the Inklings, has made it his life's passion to promote the teachings of these giants of the past.Following the tradition of C.S. Lewis, he stands with others through the years who have shared a vision to awaken interest in the man known as the "Father of the Inklings," including the names Kilby, Yates, Hein, Sadler, Reis, Robb, Amell, Triggs, Raeper, and many contributors to this important work. Through their efforts, MacDonald's legacy lives on in the lives of thousands of spiritual grandsons and granddaughters.Michael Phillips is widely known as George MacDonald's redactor, publisher, and biographer, whose vision and editorial expertise-building upon the forerunning work of C.S. Lewis, Elizabeth Yates, and Rolland Hein-helped bring MacDonald back from obscurity in the 1980s when his realistic novels had been nearly forgotten. Author and editor of over 100 books, Phillips' efforts helped ignite the MacDonald renaissance of recent years. As one of those responsible for the widespread renewal of MacDonald's influence, Phillips is recognized as among the world's foremost purveyors of MacDonald's message, with particular insight into the Scotsman's heart and spiritual vision.Michael Phillips is considered to be one of the most versatile and prolific Christian authors of our time. To those unfamiliar with his work, the question, "What kind of books does Michael Phillips write? " has no easy answer. He began his distinguished writing career in 1977 with several non-fiction titles. Since that time, he has authored over twenty non-fiction books, most notably dealing with the nature and character of God and the Fatherhood of God. After turning to the writing of novels in the mid - 1980s, Phillips has penned some sixty fiction titles of great variety. The enormous breadth of his faithful audience is testimony that his writings are universal in their appeal. Most of his series have been best sellers in the Christian market.In the 1970s Michael Phillips discovered the writings of Victorian Scotsman George MacDonald, whose books were foundational in leading C.S. Lewis out of atheism into Christianity. Phillips soon made it his life's work and passion to bring to public attention the literary and spiritual links between MacDonald and Lewis. If MacDonald is the "father of the Inklings," Phillips calls himself one of thousands of "sons of the Inklings." Inspired by the groundbreaking work of two other pioneers with similar vision to his own, authoress Elizabeth Yates and Wheaton's Dr. Rolland Hein, Phillips recognized that MacDonald's realistic fiction novels were in precarious danger of being lost to history. He knew that new publication avenues were needed. To accomplish the goal of bringing MacDonald's name back into prominence,
