Good Fruit from the Ground Up: Session video recordings can be found below.
They will be available here for NAFEX members and conference participants until November 2023. After that they will be moved to the NAFEX YouTube channel.
Bonus materials, such as selected speaker presentations and how-to files, can be downloaded free from our Conference Google Drive HERE.
The content provided here is intended for educational use by NAFEX members only and may not be distributed or reproduced in any way without the express permission of the North American Fruit Explorers.
Please note: The opinions expressed within the conference sessions are solely those of the individual speakers and participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of the North American Fruit Explorers organization.
THURSDAY, NOV. 10
(Two Sessions)
SESSION 1
2 pm PST / 5 pm EST
Join us for our brief Annual Meeting followed by a fun and informal session where members are invited to share tips, creations, successes and failures in your orchard or fruit farm. Annual meeting agenda includes board elections, 2023 look ahead, and other topics of interest. Bring a story to share!
Kris Heeter, NAFEX President
Watch the recorded session HERE.
SESSION 2
4 pm PST / 7 pm EST
It’s possible to grow abundant fruit in smaller spaces and with manageable heights using classic Espalier training and pruning methods. This decorative, usually two-dimensional form, offers high yields of high quality fruit on a plant or plants that can be free-standing, decorating a wall or fence, or even creating the fence itself! Author Lee Reich will describe which fruit plants work best and share techniques that create and maintain espaliers that look good and yield especially delectable fruit.
Speaker:
Lee Reich, Author (New York)
Watch the recorded session HERE.
FRIDAY (morning), NOV. 11
(Two Sessions)
SESSION 1
9 am PST / Noon EST
Growing fruits can be both enjoyable and rewarding. In this session, we’ll look at how to create successful backyard orchards for home, market and community by learning from our speakers’ successes and initial failures. These lessons can help you fast-track your dreams of picking fresh fruit straight from your backyard and sharing it for fun, profit or community benefit.
Speakers:
Zen Kai, Tiny Urban Farm (Georgia)
Tonia Lordy, Home Orchard Education Center (Oregon)
Watch the recorded session HERE.
SESSION 2
11 am PST / 2 pm EST
Good fruit starts from the ground up. Join Jeff Lowenfels, the author of the popular Teaming With Microbes/Nutrients/Fungi/Bacteria book series to learn more about building healthy soil for more abundant and disease-resistant fruit crops.
Speaker:
Jeff Lowenfels, Author (Alaska)
Watch the recorded session HERE.
FRIDAY (afternoon), NOV. 11
(Two Sessions)
SESSION 3
2 pm PST / 5 pm EST
Healthy fruit trees and shrubs can better defend themselves from pests and diseases, but it requires good planning and management, whether you have a few trees or a larger commercial orchard. We’ll look at management strategies including orchard sanitation, how to add value with imperfect fruit, and how to measure leaf brix to determine the health of your plants.
Speakers:
Tom Murray, SLO Farm (Oregon)
Dr. Tom Dykstra, Dykstra Laboratories (Florida)
Watch the recorded session HERE.
SESSION 4
4 pm PST / 7 pm EST
Let’s talk about how to integrate microbes and companion plants into your orchard that will have added benefits such as food, medicine, carbon sequestration, and more. We’ll explore what works and what doesn’t, whether to include animals, and the realistic costs and benefits.
Speakers:
Robert Frew and Juan Carlos Arango, Sobremesa Farm (Indiana)
Erik Hagan, Savanna Institute
Watch the recorded session HERE.
SATURDAY, NOV. 12
(Two Sessions)
SESSION 1
9 am PST / Noon EST
Apple identification is both an art and science. We’ll look at traditional methods of apple ID and newer genetic testing methods that are reconstructing apple pedigrees and yielding surprising results.
Speakers:
John Bunker, Apple Historian (Maine)
Nick Howard, Fresh Forward (Netherlands)
Cameron Peace, Washington State University (Washington)
Watch the recorded session HERE.
SESSION 2
11am PST / 2 pm EST
Join Steven Edholm of Skillcult as he demystifies apple breeding and selection for the common person, moving toward improved quality and variety. We’ll look at how to regain genetic diversity and counter the current, narrow industrial apple breeding and food paradigm. He’ll erode common myths about breeding apples and other fruit and share why plant breeding is the pinnacle of our agricultural heritage. Learn simple methods to breed, select and classify new apples on any scale, as we chart a path forward for broader grassroots fruit breeding.
Speaker:
Steven Edholm, Skillcult (California)
Watch the recorded session HERE.
Good Fruit from the Ground Up was sponsored by: One Green World, Copenhaven Farms, Edible Landscaping, Orchard People, and Southern Cultured Orchards and Nursery
Questions? Please email us at admin@nafexmembers.org.