Espaliered tree systems

[synergy]

Forgive me if I missed a previous thread, I looked. I am trying to get ideas for saving space , utilizing plants for fencing, shelter and generally making a small intensive farm work synergistically.
So I decided to share a photo of pear trees espaliered in Belgium on a horse farm. I thought this was fairly novel growing the fruit espaliered to allow a lot of light and air flow and high enough off the ground that the animals are not eating the fruit, it would allow a lot of gardeing or animal raising space to be utilized below though.

[orflo]

Nice find there! Space is restricted over here, so we have to be inventive, we don't have the dozens or more of acres that some have over here on the forum (Yeah, I'm jaelous... ;D ;D ;D ). Where is that in Belgium?
Frank

[raymondo]

When in France I saw a small vegetable/fruit garden. There were basically 3 plots, probably 1.5m wide and 2m long, divided by espaliered fruit trees - apples, apricots, I forget what else. It looked like the picture below, with the trees, T, espaliered along the asterisks, two in each division making eight fruit trees in all. The veggies, v, were in the plots defined by the espaliered borders. None of the trees were beyond person's reach in height and each had at least four horizontal branches with the first quite low, kind of knee height from memory.

T------------T------------T------------T
*vvvvvvvvv*vvvvvvvvv*vvvvvvvvv*
*vvvvvvvvv*vvvvvvvvv*vvvvvvvvv*
T------------T------------T------------T

I thought it was a very neat little garden. I didn't get a chance to talk to the garden's owner but it was full of produce when I saw it.

[grunt]

Espaliers work very nicely to dave space, and can be done along the outside edge of the plot to save even more room, and serve as a living fence. They can be allowed to grow much denser than they usually are = nature tends to crowd things if left to herself, so I usually follow suit.

[synergy]

I do not remember the name of the horse farm or region.

I am looking at the height they are achieving before they begin the laterals, anyone hazzard a guess if you could achieve this stature with apple and pear with the semidwarfing rootstock? I think I might have trouble finding regular standard trees and I would like to plant some this year as it looks like it takes a while... I will start checking out local nurseries for what is left and on sale . I have chestnut, hazelnuta , queen anne cherry and a greengage plum on my wish list too.

[Joseph Lofthouse]

If I was going to do all the work to espalier trees, I'd want them to be close enough to the ground that I could pick them, and prune them without a ladder. I like "Belgium Fence" since it doesn't require a trellis.

If goats, sheep, pigs, horses, or cows are kept in a pasture with fruit trees they will often eat the bark from the trunk and kill the tree.

Based on the height of the horse and the lady next to it I'd guess the height at 15 feet, which is about as high as semi-dwarf apples typically grow. Semi-dwarf pears can be a bit taller.