How to Grow Healthy Fruit Trees and Berries the Biological Way

Join Organic Orchard Specialist, Michael Phillips on Friday, March 10 in Chester; Field Intensive Workshop on Saturday, March 11 at Soul Song Farm in Chester

GRAFTON, VT - Have you always wanted to have beautiful, healthy fruit trees, but lacked the confidence or experience to give it a shot?

Michael Phillips, well-known author of The Apple Grower, The Holistic Orchard and his newest book My Corrhizal Planet: How Fungi and Plants Work Together to Create Dynamic Soils, will be The Nature Museum's featured speaker on Friday, March 10, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. Phillips will present a program entitled, "Growing Healthy Fruit Trees and Berries, the Biological Way" at NewsBank Conference Center, 352 Main Street, Chester, Vermont.

The following day Phillips will offer a two-hour workshop entitled, "Creating a Fruitful Landscape: A Field Intensive for Holistic Orcharding." This unique opportunity is limited to ten people and will take place at Soul Song Farm on Saturday, March 11, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in Chester, Vermont. Participants are invited for coffee and a breakfast bite starting at 9:00 a.m.

"We are thrilled that Jeff Hanavan and Kate Lunde of Soul Song Farm have generously offered to sponsor our Michael Phillips program and field intensive. Jeff and Kate believe, as we do, that it is critical that we all learn to limit our footprint by becoming informed stewards. We give a joyous welcome to our new neighbors and sponsors and thank them for making this stellar opportunity possible for us all. Through their contribution they are helping make a difference right here in their community," says Laurie Danforth, President of the Board of The Nature Museum.

Phillips, whose influence has been compared to the seminal organic gardening ideas of Sir Albert Howard and J.I. Rodale, believes that each of us can enjoy the timeless pleasure of healthy fruit trees and berries without using expensive and harmful chemicals. Unfortunately, modern life has left most of us without the experience or in-depth knowledge to produce truly healthy fruits.

Phillips emphasizes the importance of biological health and diversity - from the microscopic fungi in the soil to the beneficial insects, companion plants, birds, and wildlife that together form a complete and living orchard ecosystem. In other words, he says, "It's time for us to start working with nature, rather than fighting against it."

"Gaining confidence to do this right is key," he says. "You simply need to get over that proverbial hump that somehow you're going to screw this up and waste both time and money."

Phillips will give beginners the inspiration and knowledge they'll need to take a deep breath and get started, as well as provide deeper answers for those with some experience looking for support to go organic. He'll discuss the inner-workings of the orchard ecosystem, orchard biology, and organic health management. His presentation will include such topics as the importance of connections between home orcharding and permaculture; the importance of native pollinators; the world of understory plantings; cover crops, the newest biodiversity research; and the latest research on safe, homegrown solutions to pest and disease challenges.

Michael Phillips lives with his wife Nancy and daughter Grace on Heartsong Farm in northern New Hampshire, where they grow fruits and a variety of medicinal herbs. He is not only a well-known author and speaker, but also a farmer, carpenter, and orchard consultant. In addition to the books Phillips has written on his own, he and Nancy co-authored The Herbalist's Way: The Art and Practice of Healing with Plant Medicines. A leader of the community orchard movement, Phillips' Lost Nation Orchard on their farm is part of the Holistic Orchard Network; learn more at www.groworganicapples.com.

Following both his NewsBank presentation and field intensive, Phillips will sign and sell copies of his books.

These events are recommended for adults and children over 12. Early bird ticket prices for Friday are available until two days prior to the event for $8. After that, Friday tickets will be sold for $10 at the door until sold out. Tickets for the two-hour workshop on Saturday entitled, "Creating a Fruitful Landscape: A Field Intensive for Holistic Orcharding" are $35 until March 1 and $40 after. To register or for more information, please go to: www.nature-museum.org or call (802) 843-2111.

The Nature Museum is a regional resource for nature, science and environmental education in Southern Vermont. As a non-profit organization, The Nature Museum provides natural history and science information, creates experiences that engage and enlighten audiences of all ages, and inspires stewardship of our natural world through programming and events. The Nature Museum in Grafton, Vermont offers hands-on natural history exhibits, nature programs for adults and children, and the annual Fairy House Festival. For more information, find us on facebook.com/naturemuseumatgrafton, instagram.com or www.nature-museum.org.