After my last article on recommendations for the resolution of the public health issues arising from the use of fruits, it occurred to me to ask you, my esteemed reader, whether you consider the home garden option a remedy.
If your answer is in the affirmative, I will ask you the following questions before I can give you objective counsel: Are fruits a regular component of your diet? Do you have an experience or idea of what it takes in terms of knowledge, skill and commitment to nurse plants? Can you run through a list of the fruit varieties you will require for your regular fruit supply? How will you dispose the excess of the seasonal supply from your orchard?
If you use fruits casually you do not have to think about a home orchard because it will not be worth the effort. A home orchard is for a connoisseur of fruits who values assorted native fruits that have not made it to the counters of fruit sellers and exotic fruit varieties that do not have local equivalents.
Our fruit species can be classified into four classes: traditional, introduced, adopted and exotic. The traditional fruits are the fruits of our land some of which are still sourced from the wild. Some of them have benefitted from scientific improvement especially in yield attributes like fruit size, shape, taste, keeping quality (storability) and earliness of maturity. Solanum melongena (igba) and pawpaw are examples of fruits in this category. The traditional fruits that are well known and used in local communities are simply grown in home orchards for their fruits and as shade trees; they are also harvested from the wild. Examples of this category are Dialium guineense (awin), Irvingia gabonensis (oro), Chrysophyllum albidum (osan agbalumo), Syncephalum dulcificum (agbayun), Blighia sapida (isin), Tetracarpidium conophorum (asala) and pawpaw (Carica papaya).
The introduced plants constitute the highest percentage of our fruit resources. For the avoidance of doubt, an introduced plant is one that has been brought under cultivation from other places in the world; a similar category is a domesticated plant which is one that has been sourced from the wild and maintained under cultivation for regular use. The genus Citrus, native to Southern Asia in the family Rutaceae provides the oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos and the limes which are popular in Nigeria. The family Annonaceae has contributed Annona muricata (sour sop), Annona reticulata (custard apple) and Annona squamosa (Sugar apple). Annona muricata is used to treat many ailments in traditional medicine and there are many scientific publications that attest to its medicinal value. This column has discussed Xylopia aethiopica (eeru), a useful spice from the Annonaceae family.
Other introduced fruit trees are Terminalia catappa (Almond tree), Atocarpus heterophylla (Jack fruit), Syzygium jambos called Rose apple but the real apple is Malus domestica. The family Cucurbitaceae is represented by watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) and Cucumeropsis edulis (cucumber) both of which are already being cultivated locally.
Let us now try to make a list of fruit species of plants for an ideal home orchard. From the citrus family we can pick good varieties of sweet orange, tangelo, lemon and grape. Tangelo has loose skin (rind) that is easier to peel and it combines the sweetness of sweet orange so it can serve as a replacement for sweet orange if it is so desired. As a matter of fact, tangelo has also replaced the old tangarin which is also sweet and peels well but has smaller fruits. Lemon is in its own class offering nutritional and health benefits that are special thus guaranteeing an incontestable position in a home orchard. Another species of the citrus family is citrus maxima called pomelo which bears the largest fruit. It is the ancestor of the grape fruit and there is a distinct variety of grape called shaddock which is also a valuable fruit. Sour sop and custard apple are recommended from the Annonaceae family. Pawpaw is another valuable fruit species for the home orchard. They come in many varieties: dwarf, big fruits with all kinds of shapes, good keeping qualities and taste, the efforts of ceaseless hunting for good genetic resources and application of imaginative breeding techniques by horticulturists.
Some people like cashew; some others like pear; some others like Rose apple I mean syzygium jambos, which offers a good fruit and a plant form which is a beauty to behold. For a balance I will like to nominate Dacryodes edulis (ube), Blighia sapida (isin) and Tetracarpidium conophorum (asala) which fruits in only 18 months but will require an established tree with a good canopy for support. In our home, we raise Thaumatococcus daniellii (ewe iran) under a tree to provide leaves for wrapping moinmoin.
Are you wondering why I did not mention plantain and banana? They are not a good idea for a home orchard because of their aggressive sucker production; moreover they are always available in the market. Does asala look odd to you in a home garden? I expect that people who have eaten it from childhood know that it is in its own class. The only demand it places on you is that you will find an existing tree to provide canopy for its spread. That is not such a tall order if you are determined.
Your orchard size will depend on the size of the land you have. Reserve the area you want to use as orchard and make sure that the top soil is not removed. Do not overstock your land so that the trees can express their true forms. Do not choke up your living space with trees because they need space and all-round sunlight for vigorous growth without attaining unnecessary height in search of sunlight (etiolation). The members of a well-cultured tree are strong, proportionate and complete. The surface soil in the orchard area should be preserved during construction to ensure a healthy environment for the plants to thrive.
Fruit farming is a professional business. It is termed pomology which is also an aspect of horticulture. Horticulture is the aspect of agriculture that deals with the cultivation of vegetables and fruits. A home orchard is a domestic ecosystem in which nature is replicated. It is an exciting adventure that will connect you to nature and reward you to the measure that you dedicate yourself to its service. Please get on board.
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