The Story of an Apple Orchard

The  Alpine Science Institute  is home to a historic apple orchard near Lander, Wyoming. For many long time Lander Valley residents, the orchard occupies a special place in the history of the community.

Homesteaded in 1873 by William Nichols, the 127 acre facility gained attention as one of Wyoming’s first commercial orchards. In 1892, the Nichols family and numerous Lander citizens donated the land to the University of Wyoming (UW). The development of this orchard and many smaller, home orchards distinguished the Lander community as the "Apple Valley".

From 1892 to 1943, UW devoted the site to agricultural experiments. At this time the facility was referred to as the Field Station. Testing was performed on varieties of livestock, grains, fruits and vegetables that would grow well in the area. At one point, there were nearly 2,500 fruit trees at the Field Station, producing locally successful varieties of apples, crabapples, plums, cherries, apricots, quinces, and peaches. After 1917, the experiments also included grains and pasture grass tests.

 Central Wyoming College  acquired the property from UW in the early 1970’s. The remains of the historic orchard occupies about 15 acres of land, while most of the remainder of the grounds is in pasture. A barn and chicken coop built before 1900 remain unchanged and in their original locations.

In 2016, CWC was the recipient of a  Wyoming Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop  grant to begin restoring a portion of the old orchard. A 3 acre area was fenced to protect young trees from wildlife.

Locations were flagged for the planting of new fruit trees. The locations were plotted in a 20'x20' grid pattern.

An automated drip irrigation system was installed with the capacity to irrigate up to 80 new trees. Water is pumped from the nearby Nicol-Table Mountain ditch.

The grant project also emphasized outreach and education. Three community workshops led by UW Botanist, Dr. Steve Miller taught participants the basics of grafting, pruning and planting.

Tree planting day! Volunteers planted 22 apple, 4 cherry and 4 plum trees purchased from a local nursery. Another 22 trees donated from the  Wyoming Apple Project  were also planted. Our volunteers logged just over 470 hours for this restoration project.

Of the 2,500 fruit trees planted in the late 1800's and early 1900's, about 50 hardy apple trees remained at the start of this project in 2016. A few diseased and damaged trees were removed. The remainder were extensively trimmed to remove dead wood and continue to thrive.

Through funding from a second Wyoming Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop grant, we installed apple-centered guilds as suggested by permaculture designer Toby Hemenway, author of Gaia's Garden. The central element is an apple or other fruit tree immediately surrounded by grass-suppressing bulbs. Insect-and bird-attracting plants, mulch plants, nutrient accumulators, and nitrogen fixers fill out the rest of the guild.

Trees in nature grow as part of a community, interacting in a complex web of interrelationships from deep in the soil to the air. One way to develop these stable, mutualistic communities is by planting guilds. Guilds are healthy, interacting networks of species that mimic nature plant communities. Not only do guilds increase diversity on the land, but they also reduce labor and inputs in the orchard.

The guilds provide numerous benefits to the tree. A diverse plant community builds resiliency allowing the tree to resist pests and disease. Pests that may harm the tree are lured towards other plants in the guild. Soil health improves through the accumulation of nutrients and the break down of organic matter. Worm activity increases in the enriched soils. The soils also hold more water resulting in increased water conservation.

During the spring and summer of 2019, staff at the ASI orchard began installing guilds in the new orchard. Several plants were started in the hoophouse in the spring and planted in the orchard after the last frost.

Bee balm and buckwheat attract pollinators. Comfrey (large green leaves) accumulates nutrients from deep in the soil and creates mulch when it dies back in the fall.

Borage attracts large numbers of pollinators and also creates mulch when it dies back in the fall.

In the fall, daffodils, allium and garlic bulbs were planted around the perimeter of the trees. These bulbs support the health of the fruit tree by functioning as grass and pest suppressors. Irises and tulips were also planted for visual appeal in the spring.

Revitalization efforts will continue in the coming year with the installation of additional guilds and a food forest in the orchard. Community outreach will include orchard tours and permaculture workshops. The project has attracted many groups interested in learning more about the benefits of orchard permaculture practices. Contact CWC Lander at (307) 332-3394 to arrange a tour or learn about upcoming workshops. Funding for this project was made possible through a grant from the Wyoming Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block grant program and Central Wyoming College.

We thank the following organizations and individuals for their time, expertise and commitment to this project:

Dave Morneau, Popo Agie Conservation District

Dr. Steve Miller, University of Wyoming

Ted Craig, Wyoming Department of Agriculture

Dr. Jack States, Canyon Ranch Orchard

Val Layton, Layton Irrigation

Brett Foss, BF Enterprises

Andy Eckart, Wind River Farm to Plate

Griff Sprout, Sprout's Greenhouse

Funding for this project generously provided by: