WHO KNEW that Learning about Fruit Tree Guilds Could Result in Disease Resistant, High Yield Trees?

For more than 35 years, I’ve tried unsuccessfully to rid my blueberry bushes and apple trees of unwanted plants beneath them. Instead, I should have been adding specific kinds of plants that, when grown together correctly, would have created guilds - communities of plants that support one another by recycling nutrients back into the soil, providing shade to keep temperatures cooler, conserving water, attracting beneficial insects, repelling undesirable pests and diseases, building more nutritious soil, and preventing erosion while making your fruit trees healthier and more productive. They can also make your plantings more aesthetically interesting and attractive.

Guilds typically include plants that fall into the following categories:

Attractors draw birds, bees, butterflies and other insects that enhance crop development primarily through pollination. Examples are calendula, cornflowers, English lavender, borage, yarrow, chamomile, and leeks.

Fixers, such as sweet peas and lupine, bring more nitrogen, a natural fertilizer, into the soil.

Accumulators, such as yarrow, achillea, comfrey or clover, enrich the soil by sending down deep roots that pull up nutrients and bring them closer to the surface.

Mulchers and Suppressors are plants with large leaves that serve as ground cover. When living, mulchers’ leaves provide shade; when decomposing, they add nutrients to the soil. Rhubarb is such a plant. Suppressors, such as comfrey, keep grass and other plants from growing where you don’t want them.

Lastly, Repellants are helpful in keeping pests away mainly through their smells. They include chives, mints, onions, calendula, garlic, and marigolds.

Some plants are multipurpose; they fit into more than one category. This helps when space is limited, though it should be noted that plants in guilds are typically grown close together.

To learn more, enter “fruit tree guilds'' into your search engine. To get more specific information, typing in “Fruit Tree Guilds|Why You Should Design and Create Your Own” or “Unlocking the Genius of Fruit Tree Guilds for Abundant Harvests” takes you to YouTube videos made by Niall Gardens that do an excellent job describing the benefits of gardening this way.

I’m excited to start adding new plants under my own fruit trees!