Canadian orchard ditches organic for permaculture

What’s the most environmentally friendly way to grow an apple? For most people, organic farming sounds like the ideal. But biologist and educator Stefan Sobkowiak thinks a better answer is permaculture, which models food production on natural systems so it’s essentially self-sustaining. He’s on a mission to prove that permaculture orchards can work at commercial scale.

Sobkowiak runs Miracle Farms, a 12-acre apple orchard near Montreal. Unlike a typical organic orchard, which might grow just a few varieties of apples, he’s built up some true diversity: 100 cultivars of fruit trees grow with herbs and vegetables, and are fertilized and pollinated by local birds and bees.

He's been working on the farm for the last 20 years, after converting it from organic production.

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