North Facing Orchard

Every land has its own temperament. My orchard here is at a moderately high altitude and sits on a north facing slope, and that single fact shapes almost everything that happens here. It is both a limitation and a blessing.

The most obvious difficulty is winter light. The sun travels low and to the south during winters. For several months the angle of light is shallow and the number of sunshine hours is limited. At this altitude, where frost already visits us for nearly three months, this reduced sun exposure makes winters feel longer and harsher. Both to us and to our orchard. The soil remains cold for extended periods. Microbial activity slows down. Trees stay dormant longer. From a horticultural perspective, delayed soil warming means delayed root activity. Even hardy fruit trees may take their time to awaken. The trees that we plant take their own sweet time to grow and at times it seems too slow compared to how time flies by in our own lives. Sometimes I feel amazed by how fast the trees grow in plains and tropics compared to here.

The second challenge is spring frost. As the sun gradually shifts northwards in spring, daytime temperatures rise just enough to trigger blossoming. Buds swell and the flowers start to open. Yet the nights remain cold. Clear skies and winds drifting from the north can drop temperatures sharply. The result is frost damage to tender blossoms. A single frosty night during spring can reduce the season’s harvest. In practical terms, this means uncertainty. Some years are generous. Others are humbling. With climate crisis, such frosts are becoming more frequent. I try to prevent these using generous amount of mulching with compost and slowly shifting to varities that flower late but where fruits mature fast. Still, late spring frosts are always a problem.

Yet nature rarely gives only disadvantages. The very cold that troubles me also brings benefits. Extended chilling hours in winter are excellent for various fruit trees. Apples, pears, plums and many other fruits require sufficient chill hours to break dormancy properly. In warmer regions, inadequate chilling leads to poor flowering and uneven fruit set. Here, that is rarely a problem. I am even able to plant fruit trees that usually grow in still higher latitudes, further up North. The slow warming of spring can also delay flowering slightly compared to south facing slopes. In some seasons this delay can help avoid the earliest frosts. It is not foolproof, but it is occasionally protective.

The north facing slope retains more moisture. Evaporation is lower in winter and early spring. This is especially important considering the long dry spells we have been having lately. Mosses, ferns and shade loving plants thrive despite the low precipitation. The soil organic matter decomposes slowly, building structure over time and without overwhelming the young plants. This retention of moisture also aligns beautifully with my permaculture approach and has helped me establish a dense food forest.

When summer arrives, the story changes completely. The sun travels high and slightly north. Suddenly the orchard receives abundant light. Afternoons can be quite warm. The same slope that felt chilled and cold-hearted in January feels radiant in May-June. This strong summer sunshine is a gift for fruit ripening. Sugars accumulate well. Colour develops beautifully. Fruits mature with balanced acidity and sweetness, and are full of flavour. The nights still remain cool and this diurnal variation further enhances flavour. In high altitude orchards like mine, that difference between warm days and cool nights gives character to the produce.

However, the warm afternoons can occasionally stress young plants. Irrigation and mulching become essential. Fortunately, I have lots of tall trees and most of my orchard is floor is covered. The greenhouse also tends to get overheated and so I have to cover it up with a tarp during the summers.

A north facing slope also influences air movement. Cold air is heavier and flows downhill. Over the years I have made good drainage passages of cold air in the orchard, so frost damage is reduced. If the terrain traps cold air, frost pockets form. Careful placement of trees, maintaining open lower boundaries, and avoiding dense barriers that block cold air flow are practical strategies. I show this to my visitors who are interested in this aspect too. Wind exposure from the north can sometimes make the nights cold in spring. Shelterbelts of some native species like oaks helps break that force without stopping airflow entirely. It is always a balance between protection and ventilation.

With time I have realized that a north facing orchard demands thoughtful plant selection and management. Late flowering varieties perform better. Frost tolerant rootstocks become important. Training systems may need to maximise light interception. I can’t grow fruits that require a lot of winter sun like sweet oranges and mandarins, or even the delicious early ripening peaches, but I can indulge in plums and apples easily. Sometimes thoughtful plantation in terms to exposing the plants to morning sun vs afternoon sun also helps.

But beyond technique, there is philosophy. A north facing slope teaches patience. It pushes me to read more and more about horticulture, and gather whatever knowledge I can on this subject. It discourages haste. It rewards observation. I cannot force the sun to change its path. I can only understand it and align my orchard accordingly. In summer, when the fruits glow under the northern sun, I am reminded that what seems like a limitation in one season becomes strength in another. The land is not imperfect. It is simply specific. And once I accept its nature, I begin to work with it rather than against it. I am learning to work with nature and have a healthy orchard. The process itself is quite rewarding. This is slow-life for me.

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