Unlocking the Genius of Polyculture Fruit Tree Guilds for Abundant Harvests

[@niallgardens]

What do you think of my fruit tree guilds? Is it something you'd like to try? Or have you already got your own? 😃

[@lorainemcguire5795]

❤ will definitely be planting some around my fruit trees it looks brilliant as well as useful 😊

[@LorraineG123]

Niall absolutely fantastic

[@juliehorney995]

Putting 3 in under 3 y.o. fruit trees today!

[@ADAWC]

Awesome!!! Your garden is so pleasant and aesthetic! Your arrangements make gardening a joy! I plant colourful mix herbal medicine plants and vegetables in our garden and attract lots of birds and butterflies. I know this is right because our fruit guild and vegetable guilds attracted Italian lizards, mantis and lots of other beneficial insects in our tiny city garden in the recent years Thank you for sharing! Keep up the good work!👍

[@ImeldaByrne-z4x]

I'd really like to have a go at this, it seems very easy to manage, but I have a question please, could I use blackcurrant, redcurrant and raspberries or does it have to be apple trees?

[@norcimorci]

You know what's awesome? Listening to useful gardening stuff in my favorite dialect🥳

[@YenniHope]

Lovely video but would hugely appreciate a list of the mentioned plants in writing, especially as the accents are not always so easy to understand for us non-native speakers.

[@SeverusFelix]

Or native speakers from America lol

[@melissaschloneger9902]

Her voice is like listening to music, mesmerizing. I love both of your accents. Wonderful video - thank you!

[@annelundquist269]

Just wanted to say thank you for this inspiring, clear, and absolutely gorgeous video. Will try this in my yard!

[@niallgardens]

Thanks for the lovely comment, I really appreciate it!

[@stacyrosa6672]

One of the most lovely guilds I've ever seen! Very inspiring.

[@niallgardens]

Wow, thank you!

[@spudsandroses]

It is looking stunning Niall, beautiful flower combinations 😍 The plants have really grown for you and it is unbelievable how guickly the beds have filled. Well done👏💚🌿

[@niallgardens]

Thanks Maiju! I love having you on the channel. I think I have a bit more work to get them established like yours, but for the first few months I'm happy with where they're at 😃

[@honoregale856]

Another great beautiful video. Inspired by you and Mayu earlier this year I created a small flower guild around two apple trees on my allotment. Wishing to be frugal! I used oddments plants from around the plot so transplanted some borage and chive plants, some achillea cuttings from home, a stray sedum, a small perennial geranium, cosmos and nasturtiums. It is now a pretty little shady area where I sit with my coffee and enjoy the wildlife. Thank you both for introducing us to this idea.

[@niallgardens]

Hi Honore! That's actually so cool that it inspired you to create your own guild! Wow! Even better that it's worked our for you - definitely sounds like a really special little spot to sit and enjoy. Do keep me updated with how you get on!

[@LorraineG123]

Sorry Niall,i havent been on much,crazy busy this summer. You must have to pinch yourself walking through the beds. Your fruit tree guild is so beautiful,your vision from the day you went down west, has come true. Well done Niall. I can truly say you are a happy gardener for sure.

[@richardm4706]

Comfrey grows very readily on my farm in Japan. Unchecked, it will spread all over. It is, however, a fantastic attractor for bees, and is also a good organic compost.

[@niallgardens]

Thanks for sharing! Yeah they can certainly spread everywhere!

[@MarkDMoore-rr1rv]

It would be great if you set up a playlist of this series for your fruit tree guilds. I want to see what you did in the order that you did it (so I can learn from you and make mine - a peach tree guild and a blueberry bush guild).😃

[@TEPO--]

Wonderful ! Such lovely selections, concepts and color palettes that yes, do "make my heart sing". Delightful, thank you. Enjoy !

[@niallgardens]

Ah I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it!

[@hazelmanship7516]

Hi Niall and your dear friend,Just back from church, very hot here after our 2 hour storm last night,Sheffield was horrible, poor plants are really dashed,petals all over never mind,the lawn was very thirsty for rain. Your gilds look amazing,so beautifully done with all the gorgeous colours,the wild life will have a good picnic for sure, my plants are now starting to burst into colour, marigolds, nicotiana,tagettes,godetia,cosmos, ageratum, the sunflowers are really doing good too,buds are showing,my hanging baskets with my begonias I'd saved from last year looking stunning beautiful oranges among the mixed lobelia, thanks for sharing your knowledge, happy gardening everyone bye for now stay safe 😊🌻🌺🌸x

[@niallgardens]

Hi Hazel! How are you keeping? Such a shame to hear about the plant damage because of the storm. We've been having the same thing here - really heavy showers and it's also been surprisingly windy recently. You've got such a brilliant collection of different things - I love the sound of it ❤️ Have a great week!

[@hazelmanship7516]

@@niallgardens hi Niall a good thanks hope you are too, had another storm 6pm last night only 40 mins but torrential rain again the grass is looking greener, my friends always love my garden,it reminds them of cottage gardens full of colour.its so hot today but getting very cloudy and breezy,forecast more rain, oh joy, but managed a short stroll this morning.tame care see you soon x

[@saracappello6805]

Finally a fruit tree guild with some thoughtful design for the human in it! I started one last year, but most guilds are a bit of a scraggly mess, more wild than domesticated. I want my fruit trees to be happy and healthy, but I want to enjoy it too, and I don't live in the country; my garden is visible to neighbors. I will take some tips from this video this year for sure! Much thanks!

[@LearnPermaculture]

Great video Niall! :) Guilds of well chosen species add a lot of function and beauty at the same time. We use mint and daffodils here to deter nibbling by the many voles we have here.

[@niallgardens]

Thanks very much for the lovely comment - I really appreciate it. I’d been reading about the use of daffodils actually, so great to hear that you have success with it.

[@LearnPermaculture]

@@niallgardens They used to be planted a lot in orchards here in SW England - many still have them, though they're usually spread out these days rather than just around the trees. Of course they look nice too! :)

[@lesleymccauley3664]

Impressive! Like you I don’t know why this concept isn’t more widely know. I certainly hadn’t heard of it before so thanks to Maiju and yourself for explaining so clearly how it works and illustrating it so beautifully. I’m now thinking about how I can make a space in my wee garden to try it for myself. (Love the matching chair and wheelbarrow 🤣) Take care 😀

[@niallgardens]

Thanks very much! I've been amazed at how well it's worked in such a short time, so it should give a good foundation to build on year after year as the fruit trees (hopefully!) mature!

[@chrisdooney5374]

Wow it looks amazing so colourful my dream veg garden

[@niallgardens]

So nice of you, thank you!

[@Florida882]

I have never seen fruit tree guilds in raised beds. I follow a few people who do permaculture. I have fruit trees with fruit bushes. Herbs. Lots of flowers. I love how yours looks best. It would work with a home association that we have here.

[@jasminelouisefarrall]

Cracking selections 🍃🌸🍃

[@niallgardens]

Thank you kindly!

[@jeffreyrossi5084]

That area must be becoming your favorite part of your yard, it's easy to see why you don]'t need any encouragement to go out there. It will be interesting to see the area in a few years when the trees start to develop some architecture and give the garden a whole new environment. I know I would go crazy trying to prune them to that exact right form.

[@niallgardens]

Yeah the veg garden has become my favourite spot in the garden. Is it weird that I'm kinda looking forward to learning how to prune those apple trees properly? Ha!

[@jSheapullen]

I have a lemon tree in a wicking pot made from an unused shopvac...hubby made it...anyway. a banana pepper griw with it!

[@andrewwyatt-younger7115]

As ever, I enjoy learning from your experience. Thank you for this episode!

[@niallgardens]

My pleasure! Really glad you get something from the episodes

[@ulaw2711]

What a brilliant idea ❤ My small fruit trees grow in big containers and they look very lonely, they just need friends 😊 Why I didn't think about that earlier? I have all the plants you mentioned ❤. Very happy for finding your channel 😊. Greetings from Wales ❤

[@oliverlondon5246]

Wonderful! I’ll try this out next year

[@niallgardens]

It's so so worth doing! I'm delighted with mine!

[@LucindaEm]

Fantastic video Niall, thank you!

[@niallgardens]

No problem, you're welcome!

[@annamariapievani-bw4lv]

Grazie.....ottimi consigli.adoro i fiori come la calendula e lavanda.

[@nooie99]

Super colours and very interesting to learn. Will try myself Love that your boots and chair matched the flower colours. Was that deliberate or coincidence?

[@niallgardens]

Thanks so much! I've truly found them to be a game-changer! The funny thing is that the chair and trainers were a complete coincidence.... I love when that happens!

[@nooie99]

Naill I thought it might have been. But added to your wonderful informative video.

[@sharimuhamad5905]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge Niall ❤❤❤❤❤

[@niallgardens]

You are so welcome

[@McNeep]

Excellent & informative video! Love it

[@niallgardens]

Thanks so much Eilish! I'm planning on creating another later in the summer to show how the beds mature

[@TheEnglishladyskitchengarden]

That's a lovely concept.

[@missglenellen]

How interesting (and so beautiful!), thank you so much !

[@niallgardens]

You're welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ebradley2306]

Do you have a suggestion for what to plant around a citrus tree?

[@erschaffenswert]

awesome records, thanks for sharing

[@williamcash8855]

I really like the concept of the fruit tree guild and what to create some of my own next year

[@niallgardens]

Thanks William! Glad it's inspired you - good luck with it!

[@Oktopia]

Your talk about fruit tree guilds made me want to make my own. Sadly my expensive plum tree died from a combination of travel and drought. I have a small seedling from a plum stone and I will be planting that to see what I can make of it. Hopefully, in a few years, I'll have the fruit tree guild of my dreams.

[@niallgardens]

Oh no! Sorry to hear that your plum tree died. That would be so lovely if you can get your baby plum tree to flourish and have it planted in a guild!

[@niallgardens]

Oh no! Sorry to hear that your plum tree died. That would be so lovely if you can get your baby plum tree to flourish and have it planted in a guild!

[@Oktopia]

@@niallgardens Fingers crossed :D

[@Ann-bm5qg]

It’s useful information. I think it would be easier to absorb if you covered one subject in each video.

[@rashmiendenburg5115]

So happy for you, Niall that you got this to work for you. It is truly beautiful and I bet it works too. I will have to get going myself . Is rhubarb a dynamic accumulator too ?

[@niallgardens]

Thanks Rashmi! I did a little research after getting your question about Rhubarb and I can't see it referred to as a dynamic accumulator I'm afraid

[@Familygarden88]

Thanks for sharing, I happened to have fruit tree guilds without knowing this concept 😊. I purely created it due to limited space and maximise productivity. With your wonderful suggestions, I can even improve it further. How about strawberries as a ground cover? Do you have to leave certain gap between the fruit tree and other plants? Many thanks 😊

[@niallgardens]

Strawberries will definitely work nicely as a ground cover - funny, they're something I'm introducing in my asparagus beds for exactly that reason. In terms of the gaps, I'm probably the worst person to ask! Ha! I tend to cram things in at the start and then have to move things to make spaces later on!

[@Familygarden88]

@@niallgardens I’ve planted some strawberries & pumpkins in my asparagus bed this summer, I’m yet to see the results !

[@thebeehutt]

Thank you ❤ lovely video

[@niallgardens]

You're welcome 😊

[@deirdredear]

So Wonderful!

[@niallgardens]

Many thanks!

[@bjohnstone8331]

I recently started learning about fruit guilds, and this is by far the best video I've watched. Thanks for breaking it down and making it so easy to understand. Plus, yours are beautiful!!!

[@marlenepisani9887]

This was such a great video, but I hve a question, I thought it was always important to not have anything around fruit trees, because they would compete for nutrients, mnily heard about grass, so does grass remove more nutrients?

[@Lynnhopeacres]

Great video as usual!

[@niallgardens]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@SeverusFelix]

I'd had an idea for something like this with my fruit trees, but I didn't know enough to know what to research. I'm in a somewhat different climate, but I think this points me in the right direction.

[@marymcandrew7667]

I really want to start doing this around our fruit trees! I have a question though, wouldnt we need to plant attractor flowers that will be in bloom early when the trees have their blooms? I dont have a green house so its difficult to get things started early. I have started calendula and cornflowers and they are not in flower yet. Any advice on early flowers that maybe are perennial?

[@cherylhowker1792]

Can you build these in large containers??? I have fruit trees that are dwarf rootstock and so so they are in large containers- like a size of a raised bed. But obviously there is a bottom to them.

[@niallgardens]

In my mind, I don't see why you couldn't take elements and add them into containers. Particularly choosing to include attractor plants and repellent plants. Or getting legume plants that will offer some nitrogen fixing ability providing you choose small varieties. Could be a fun project!

[@cherylhowker1792]

@@niallgardens thanks. I have got some dwarf French bean in the cherry one as last year they grew soooo well but don’t seem to be this year. Maybe it needs a feed? And there is some flowers in all of them. But just bedding plants I’ve picked up from the shop. I trued to grow some that you have and they never germinated. I wonder if I just need to scatter the seed outside in the tubs and hope they come up? Sorry new to all this

[@marilynweber7957]

We can't understand the 2nd thing in the supressors - tatutee? What are you saying - sorry but we are trying hard to copy what you two are doing and I just can't hear there THANK YOU!!

[@tonyalewis9053]

He says Tagasaste, low growing evergreen. Tagetes is the genus of Marigolds. I would guess the former would be good at suppression.

[@salward6709]

I planted similar fruit tree guilds about 2 years ago in North Yorkshire after reading about them from US websites with interest. I have many of the same plants as you have. The main issue I've found is that the plants are so small at the start of the season whe the fruit trees blossom. This year, in the warmth the fresh new growth was smothered in aphids which completely decimated the blossom. (I resisted the urge to spray!) There was a lag of a few weeks before the predators really got on top of the pests. The fruit trees look better now but alas there will be very few fruits. 😢 I have 3 apple trees, 2 pear trees and a Victoria plum tree. I will be interested to hear what other people do to manage pests early in the season.

[@honestlee4532]

Another benefit of borage and calendula is the fact that they are edible flowers.

[@niallgardens]

Very true!

[@ddubsr5886]

5:57 dude what the heck; attracting pollinators? Those are house flys why would you want to attract those?

[@oakley1471]

🎶 *Promo sm*