Orchard and ranch projects · Prairie, Idaho · Map and directions
Plans, field checklists, and the data behind them for our place in Prairie: a 10-acre lot on the high desert, with an orchard going in north of the homestead, a west windbreak, and water-harvesting earthworks to make the most of the snowmelt. Each project below links to its page and a printable PDF.
Git-tracked JSON for individual plants, locations, purchases, cultivar profiles, mapped features, full terrain, soil, climate (rain, frost, temperature, and daylight), and water harvesting. A validated build creates local SQLite and the browser data used by these maps.
Next: edit JSON, build and validate, then query locally or publish; add measured locations and water observations when available.
The planting map for 107 living orchard trees in 15 rows, all planted (106 fruit trees in October 2026 and the M-111 rootstock at R6-C3): pollination partners, bloom groups, the windbreak, berry guilds, and elderberry hedge, all to scale. Trees link to their cultivar profiles.
Next: graft the 13 R1 apples onto your own rootstocks in spring 2027. Leave every other open spot in R2 to R12 for the 2027 plan: R4-C9, R5-C9, and R5-C10 for apples, R8-C1 for a new pear after the Pineapple died, R9-C2 for a new cherry after CR-Royalton died, R11-C10, R11-C12, and R12-C11 for new peaches after PC-Hale, PC-Can Harm, and PC-Blaz Star died (all five died in their pots before planting, so none was lost in the ground), R11-C7 and R12-C7 for plums (two Italian plums were moved to R11-C6 and R12-C5), and the empty positions in R6 and R8 to R12 (in R11 and R12 they are planned as two apricots, two more plums, and a fourth peach); the PR-Asian pear is at R8-C3. The recommended cultivars for all of these show as green cells (see the 2027 planting plan); R13 to R15 stay open. Plant the three Urban apples outside the orchard; locations are pending.
Recommended cultivars for all 49 open spots in R1 to R12, so no hole is left: 13 apple grafts for the reserved row R1, 13 more apples, 11 cherries, 4 plums, 4 peaches, 2 apricots, and 2 pears. It has a buy list for 36 trees and the scionwood for the grafts, a map of every spot, a pollination check against the grid's rules, the harvest bands, and a ripening watch for the apples that may not ripen here.
Next: order semi-dwarf trees and winter scionwood (confirm each nursery ships to Idaho and offers the rootstock), graft R1 in early spring, and add the trees to the inventory as they arrive.
The field sheet for planting day: match each tree's metal tag to its orchard position and compact SiteRef location code, with check boxes to mark what's in the ground and a one-line description of each tree.
Next: every tree is planted (October 2026), so every box is checked; keep the sheet as the record of which tag is in which spot. R4-C9, R5-C9, R5-C10, R8-C1, R9-C2, R11-C10, R11-C12, and R12-C11 stay empty until their 2027 replacements.
Plain-language profiles for 162 cultivars, species, and rootstocks in the inventory, the purchase list, your seed list, and the 2027 planting plan: fruit, nut, and berry plants, windbreak and shade trees, and perennials. Appearance, flavor or use, ripening, how to recognize each one, habit, bark, and leaves where a source describes them, and sources. Search by name, alias, or metal tag; the pollination grid and planting checklist link to it.
Next: add a profile whenever you buy a new plant, and note the bark, leaves, and fruit you observe on your own trees.
Six apples lost their labels. Each is one of the purchased apples with no tagged tree, and the rest of those purchases are presumed lost in Boise. A possibility list, ways to narrow it, and a bloom, fruit, bark, and leaf log for each tree.
Next: number the six planted trees, then log first bloom next spring and compare each one's bark, leaves, and habit with the tagged trees.
Three sweet cherries, two peaches, and an apricot lost their labels. Each is one of the purchased trees with no tagged tree: Black Tartarian, Sam Sweet, or Regina for the cherries; Reliance, Veteran, Contender, or Elberta for the peaches; and the Patterson for the apricot. A possibility list for each fruit and a bloom, fruit, bark, and leaf log for each tree.
Next: confirm whether every purchased cherry, peach, and apricot arrived (the apples did), number the six planted trees, and compare the unidentified apricot with the two trees tagged Moorpark.
Ideas from Brad Lancaster's Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond fitted to our site: USGS lidar terrain, NRCS soil, a basin at every tree, and a water budget.
Next: perc tests before freeze-up, a crescent basin at each tree now that they are planted, and a rain gauge.
Early and late frost at both ends of the season, with the chance of a freeze by any date, plus monthly freeze days, average highs and lows, and day length. Measured at the Prairie SNOTEL, 2.4 miles away: a typical year has 90 frost-free days (1 year in 10 has fewer than 74), and the cold nights put the orchard in zone 5b.
Next: work through the "Still to Check" list on the page: log bloom dates, put a minimum thermometer in the orchard (and one in the low northwest corner) from March to October to see how cold air behaves and how the lot compares with the station, find out which way the wind blows, and confirm the county's snow load and frost depth. The official USDA zone check is done: the map reads 6a for the lot's cell, against 5b from the station's readings.
What the climate page does not hold, from the nearest stations, models, and county documents: the snowpack typically peaks at 5.8 inches of water around Feb 20 (2026 peaked at 1.1), a 25-year, 24-hour storm drops 2.55 inches, a typical year has 2,104 degree days above 50 °F and 872 chill hours, and the county's ground snow load for Prairie is 120 lb/sq ft. It also holds wind, sunshine, humidity, and the hail reports within 25 miles.
Next: ask the county whether the 120 lb/sq ft snow load and the 30 inch frost depth apply at the lot (about 4,750 ft) before anything is designed, and once the weather station has run for a year, compare its readings with these baselines.
All 10 acres to scale from USGS lidar: elevation and contours, where runoff goes (6.7 acres drain north, 3.2 south), slope, profiles, and a spot-elevation grid, with the homestead drawn in.
Next: use it to site future projects (tank, pond, basins, outbuildings), and check key spots with a level.
The homestead to scale on the 50 ft grid: red shed, outhouse, the two containers, 3,500 gal irrigation tank, pump house, workshop, RV, and house pads, road-mix drives, the buried water lines and frost-free hydrants, and the planned house, garage, and workshop.
Next: stake the house, garage, and workshop corners, then update their spots in the site grid.
One coordinate system for every project: 50 ft cells, compact SiteRef codes such as B10-E33-S35, latitude and longitude, mapped features, and shared JavaScript and Python helpers. The guide explains cell offsets, individual planting records, and pending locations.
Next: edit canonical data/site.json and rebuild the generated browser data as new projects start.
Simonton loam, 2 to 12 percent slopes: loam over clay loam, deep and well drained. The water plan explains what it means for basins and watering.
Next: add our own perc-test results.
Canonical JSON now tracks individual plants, assignments, and history. These original workbooks remain the inventory and purchase-list source records, with rootstocks, fertility, and bloom research.
Next: keep the inventory current as trees are planted, moved, or lost.
| Project | Status | Next steps | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orchard planting, fall 2026 | In progress | All 106 orchard fruit trees and the M-111 rootstock are planted (October 2026). Hold R1 for grafted rootstock apples; leave R4-C9, R5-C9, and R5-C10 open for 2027 apples, R8-C1 for a 2027 pear, R9-C2 for a 2027 cherry, R11-C10, R11-C12, and R12-C11 for 2027 peaches, and R11-C7 and R12-C7 for 2027 plums; plant the windbreak, berry guilds, and elderberry hedge. | 2026-10-18 |
| 2027 planting plan | Planned | Order 36 trees (13 apples, 2 pears, 11 cherries, 4 plums, 4 peaches, and 2 apricots; semi-dwarf; confirm Idaho shipping and the rootstock) and the scionwood for the 13 R1 grafts; add them to the inventory as they arrive; watch the very late apples for ripening and treat the apricots as a trial. | 2026-10-18 |
| Tree watch: survival and growth stages | Planned | After the first winter in the ground, check every tree in spring 2027 (alive, damaged, or dead), then log leaf out, first and full bloom, frost damage, fruit set, and first harvest as plant events, so each cultivar can be compared in your own microclimate. A first-winter loss after an October planting is not the same as a hardiness failure. | 2026-10-18 |
| Rain and snowmelt harvesting | Planned | Perc tests in three spots; a crescent basin at each planted tree; rain gauge; gutters, spreader, and driveway basins in 2027. | 2026-10-18 |
| Site climate: frost, temperature, daylight | Reference | Work through the "Still to Check" list: bloom dates, cold-air drainage, and a minimum thermometer in the orchard (and the low northwest corner) from March to October, logging lows in the cold log; which way the wind blows; the county's snow load and frost depth wording; and a year of weather station readings against the baselines; refresh the numbers as new SNOTEL years come in. The official USDA zone is settled (6a on the map, 5b at the station). | 2026-10-19 |
| Site baselines: snow, storms, heat and chill, wind, sun, building values, hail | Reference | Ask the county whether the 120 lb/sq ft snow load and the 30 in frost depth apply at about 4,750 ft before any building or footing is designed; once the weather station has run a full year, compare its monthly averages with these baselines and settle which way the winter wind blows; refresh the snow and degree-day years each autumn. | 2026-10-19 |
| Whole-site terrain and water maps | Reference | Use to site future projects; check key spots with a level. | 2026-10-06 |
| Homestead plot map | Reference | Stake the planned house, garage, and workshop; check the hydrant spots on the ground. | 2026-10-07 |
| Site master grid and code helpers | Reference | Add new features to the grid data as projects start. | 2026-10-07 |
| Soil and site data | Reference | Add perc-test and rain-gauge results. | 2026-10-06 |
| Plant inventory and purchase records | Ongoing | Keep current as trees go in. | 2026-10-18 |
| Cultivar library and guide | Ongoing | Add a profile for each new plant; note bark, leaf, and habit observations on your own trees; upgrade general-knowledge entries to sourced. | 2026-10-18 |
| Unidentified apples (AL-UnKn) | Ongoing | Number the six planted trees; log bloom, fruit, bark, and leaves; narrow the possibilities as each tree identifies itself. | 2026-10-18 |
| Unidentified stone fruit (CR-Sweet, PC-Unk, AT-Unk) | Ongoing | Confirm whether every purchased cherry, peach, and apricot arrived; number the six planted trees; log bloom, fruit, bark, and leaves; compare the unidentified apricot with the two Moorpark-tagged trees. | 2026-10-18 |
| Canonical property data and SQLite | Ongoing | Edit canonical JSON, rebuild and validate, query locally; add measured locations and water observations; log tree stages and survival as plant events from spring 2027. | 2026-10-18 |