For decades fruit growers have sprayed their trees with toxic chemicals in an attempt to control a range of insect and fungal pests. Yet it is possible to grow apples responsibly, by applying the intuitive knowledge of our great-grandparents with the fruits of modern scientific research and innovation.

AcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter OneGrowing Apples LocallyApple Growing a Hundred Years AgoToday's Integrated Pest ManagementBringing It All TogetherConventional WisdomThe Small Commercial Orchard in ContextChapter TwoThe Orchard Site and Its ClimateSacred SlopesThe Four Points of the CompassDry GroundZone HardinessWindbreaksBiodiversity in a Fruit OrchardProximity to MarketsChapter ThreeThe Enriching of Fruit LandsThe Living SoilCompost ForeverSoil AmendmentsFoliar FeedingBiodynamic TeachingsCover CroppingPonderable MulchSoil Tests and Leaf AnalysisTrace Minerals for Every TreeChapter FourThe Trees and the PlantingCultivar SelectionRootstocks and Tree SpacingNursery Sources and Varietal CollectorsGrafting and PropagationThe Setting of the TreesOrchard Size and LayoutHigh-Density PlantingsDown to the Nitty-GrittyChapter FiveCare of the OrchardIntuitive PruningTraining the Apple TreePollination and Fruit SetFrost ProtectionThinning the FruitThe Great Grass DebateMowing OptionsSummer CarePreparing for WinterRestoring Neglected OrchardsChapter SixApple Pests and DiseasesThe Beginning of UnderstandingGood-bye, Foliar PestsInsect IdentificationBug-by-Bug ProfilesBeneficial InsectsGood SanitationFungal DiseasesOther Diseases of the AppleFour-Legged ConsiderationsChapter SevenSpraying for BalanceThe Complexities of NatureAll the Answers Aren't Known, but We're GainingTiming Is EverythingThe Orchard CalendarBotanicals, Elementals, and Forbidden FruitGentler SpraysSpray Equipment for the Small Commercial OrchardMatters of ConcernChapter EightReaping the HarvestWhen to PickHarvest EquipmentThe Apple Picker's ReelHiring HelpWindfalls and Fat SheepFrom Orchard to Packing ShedGrading RevisitedCider MakingThe Juice of the AppleApple StorageChapter NineMarketing in the Local EconomyGetting a Fair PriceApple EconomicsNiche MarketingValue-Added ProductsOrganic CertificationAdvertisingMarketing InnovationsLong-Term VisionChapter TenThe Last Organic FrontierThe Sustainable OrchardTree Spirit, Community SpiritOrganic PerseveranceHere We Come a-WassailingEsopus Spitzenberg and a Better TomorrowAppendix I Compendium of Orchard TasksAppendix 2 Apple Grower's Source ListAppendix 3 Lost Nation Apple RecipesAppendix 4 BibliographyIndex