Our “Biowiesl” on the Goldrain alluvial fan is our great pride. Here we grow Gala and Golden Delicious. For the switch to organic, my children had to put in some final convincing before I was absolutely sure I was doing the right thing. Organic farming always appealed to me, but I wanted to be certain it would also be economically viable. In a private garden, I might accept that half the yield is eaten by aphids, but in an orchard that cannot happen. That’s why I researched thoroughly before converting and was fortunate to find a skilled organic farmer who could include our orchard in his plant protection program. This gave me the confidence I needed.
Today I am very happy about this decision. My two grown-up children and my son’s partner share with me the work of thinning apples or harvesting. My husband takes care of pruning. I work full-time as a teacher but take every available vacation to spend time in the orchard. We divide the work day by day, spontaneously, so that there is always someone looking after it. Work in the “Biowiesl” is for each of us a welcome balance to our main professions. Because of its modest size, we don’t need external harvest workers. I also find the regular field walks with experts fascinating and highly informative, even if not mandatory. The division of tasks in the orchard works perfectly: while my children build insect hotels and stone piles, I prefer to focus on organic sowing so that insects have plenty to feed on. Without dividing tasks, but together in chorus, we enjoy homemade apple strudel, sweet-and-sour chutney, and dried fruit sprinkled with lemon. Everything homemade, aromatic and full of flavor. The scents of wild herbs, sunflowers, grasses, and mallows from the flowering strips surely find their way into the flavor of our healthy apples. Especially the colorful mallows, with their natural charm, grow tall and fragrant. As long-blooming flowers with blossoms that last for months, they provide bees and other insects with nectar and pollen, making them vital pastures for these beneficial creatures.
Organic is a continuous learning process, and exchange with like-minded people is truly enriching. I also keep educating myself constantly. With organic farming I give something back to nature – a return for what she gives me. That may be the green strip between apple rows that is only mowed late in August, or other habitats that are deliberately created and never removed. Even if things no longer look so tidy, in organic one must accept that. In nature, after all, the concept of order has a very different meaning than for us humans.
