The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist Paperback – Illustrated, October 1, 2005

Just what my son needed. Very well written and covered everything he needs.

Was looking for a problem solver manual. It’s a wonderful manual but I needed short term fixes. Sooo verbose.

I highly recommend the book to everyone from the back yard grower to the full blown orchard owner. The book is very comprehensive look at every aspect of growing apples (and fruit in general) from the planning stage pre-planting and choosing a site to harvest and beyond. I also think the book was well written to read more like a novel, with some background story gleaned from his own life and experience on his orchard. This made the book read better than a boring technical cooperative extension paper, which of course anyone can "Google" online. The only area I feel that went a little too far was some of the holistic approaches. Although, when reading about the holistic idea's, I cannot help but think of my eccentric aunt who used to talk to the tree's and thank them for their bounty. You could not pick anything in her garden, without thanking them for their fruit and she used to talk to her tree's like they were her children, but let me tell you, her tree's produced well, so who's to say different? I love the organic approach, and I feel that the farmers back in the day were doing it right, before agribusiness and chemical farming came into use, the organic way is truly the only long term sustainable way we can survive on this planet in the long run. I only hope that we do not poison our planet beyond repair and are able to change our methods, before it is too late. Good reading.

While the initial chapters are hard going, with a little too much repetition (N.B. Editor), the chapters pick up the pace by midway and the book finishes very strong. Consequently I went from regretting the purchase to very happy that I selected this book and stuck with it.I think I will continue to value the considerable wisdom in this book. The author provides very comprehensive knowledge about organic and sustainable orchard growing with clear instructions and ideas. A strong editor could improve it even more by structuring it into a more textbook style (IMHO).

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 am an experienced gardener but new to apples so I needed a book to get me started. This was so full of information and I love his philosophy. He's all about working with nature and understanding exactly what the trees need from us. My orchard is now in year two and so far, they are doing great thanks to this book.

In this book Michael Phillips conveys his years of experience in organic orcharding and integrated pest management. What a nice break from the typical heavy pesticide spraying routings that are typically touted for a backyard orchard! By paying attention to the plant and organism cycles in the orchard, you can give nature a helping hand to produce great tasting and healthy fruit. The methods presented don't necessarily result in perfect looking fruit, but then again, most perfect-looking grocery fruit is light on flavor.One suggestion for the next edition: It would be really helpful to see tables that summarize pest and orchard management tasks in a way that easily translates to application in an orchard. For example, organizing by season so a home grower can pick up the book and easily assess what tasks should be done in winter, spring, summer and fall.Also consider reading Gaia's Garden for additional information on how you can help nature along with tasks like pest control, weed control and fertilization.

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.