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Using Beds to Attain Higher-Density Orchards
Most orchards in Pennsylvania have uniform row spacings. The term "bed" in fruit production originated in the Netherlands, where growers have researched and tested three- to eight-row beds. No equipment traveled between the rows in a bed, and the beds were kept weed free. In Pennsylvania, wide weed-free beds are not advisable because of the likelihood of excessive erosion, so Dutch-style bed production probably is not workable.
In a broader sense, however, "beds" for tree fruit production can simply be thought of as plantings with unequal row spacings. Beds in this sense have been around a long time. Some Pennsylvania growers have alternated narrower rows, where no bin handling occurs, with wider spacings where bin handling does occur. Thus, for example, where a row spacing of 25 feet might be standard in an orchard with uniform row spacing, this 25-foot spacing can be alternated with 20-foot row middles, resulting in an average row spacing of 22.5 feet.
Since most Pennsylvania growers prefer to use relatively wide row middles for spraying and especially for bin handling, row spacing becomes a limiting factor in designing moderately high-density orchards. Thus, growers desiring 6 to 8 feet for operating large equipment cannot obtain significantly higher tree densities. However, growers could design "Pennsylvania bed orchards," in which single, wide row middles are used for spraying and for hauling bins. Figure 1-4 presents examples of the traditional arrangement, a two-row bed, and a three-row bed. Note that within the bed, trees might be staggered to allow spray to penetrate. With the smaller trees being planted today, spray deposition is likely to be more than adequate.
Table 1-8 gives an expanded example of trees at different spacings. The example shows that the increase in trees per acre could range from a low of 10.6 percent to as much as 28.5 percent. The bed itself can be designed with row spacings so that mowing can be done with a small tractor, but spraying would not normally be done within the bed. Alternatively, small compact sprayers can be used. Six-row beds of this design have been used by some South Carolina peach producers. This arrangement would result in significantly higher tree densities and may be a workable plan that would enable Pennsylvania growers to obtain higher tree densities while keeping wide row middles for large equipment.