Once upon a time, Blue Bee Cider was just an idea. One of the first things that I learned while I was apprenticing at Albemarle CiderWorks, was that the kind of apples I would need for cider were not widely grown by commercial orchards. I had always planned to grow apples trees at some point in the future but the Virginia cider fruit shortage brought the agricultural imperative closer to the present.
I earned my stripes and bandaids grafting, a skill I learned from Bill Shelton at Albemarle CiderWorks that spring. With the help of my family (who also had to learn!) the first nursery of about 150 cider apple trees was planted at a plot in Tricycle Gardens‘ Chimborazo Park community garden. Those trees, shown in the lead picture, graduated in 2013 to the urban orchard at Blue Bee Cider and to the country orchard in Nelson County. At our new location in Scott’s Addition, there will be some room to plant trees as well. But there will also be room and opportunity to plant additional fruits, vegetables and flowers for the tasting room. This is the time of year when planning the kitchen garden of the next year begins.
Since summertime, I have been observing the light patterns for the Stables. The vast majority of the potential planting space is in partial sun and partial shade. (My definition of partial sun is morning shade/afternoon sun or morning to mid-afternoon sun and partial shade is morning sun/afternoon shade.) There is a smidgen of full shade next to the entrance to the cellar and there is a tiny strip of full sun right next to the tasting room at the south gate. With this gem of full sun, as in all things Blue Bee Cider, apples will get the highest priority. This space will be for full grown trees and possibly a nursery.
The idea for Blue Bee Cider’s potager, or kitchen garden, at the Stables is to have something edible growing somewhere at all times throughout the year. Ornamentals are a no-no unless they have some other purpose, such as cut flowers for the tasting room.
This is where I could use your help, Zone 7 growers. What kinds of fruits and vegetables have you had luck with in partial sun and partial shade? We would really appreciate your input over the next couple of weeks. So please comment below!
-Courtney Mailey
