For the last several years, the Apple Core Project and the Rimrocker Historical Society have been educating the public about the heirloom apples the settlers brought with them in the late 1800s. There’s been a movement to identify, graft and preserve the old apples. In the last few years, students at Nucla High School have joined that effort. Last week, they planted their own orchard.
Bri Bonacquista is the Ag 1 and Ag 2 teacher, for freshmen and sophomores, respectively. For the last few years, as long as she’s been in her role as the ag teacher, she’s had the kids work directly with Jen Nelson, local apple expert and original co-founder of the Apple Core Project.
Last February, ag students grafted heirloom apple trees and at the end of the school year planted those in pots. Nelson kept them in a greenhouse all summer, nursing and watering them until they could be planted this fall.
Last week, students worked to establish their orchard, planting a total of 10 trees. The work required them to dig holes, build protective cages to keep deer off the trees, mix mulch and situate their trees in the ground.
“It was harder than what a lot of them expected, but they enjoyed it,” the teacher said.
She added students seemed to enjoy the hands-on assignments, outside the classroom, working outdoors and seeing the literal fruits of their labor.
Last year required more work, because the trees produced so many apples; this was a lighter year for fruit. Bonacquista said that’s typical with apple trees, and they will produce more heavily one year and then not the next.
“This is their off year,” she said.
Last year, students were pressing juice, bottling it, selling it and supplying their lunch room with local fruit. This year, they managed to press four gallons of fresh juice on their football field and shared a moment, drinking that together.
The new orchard is located at the main entrance of the new Nucla school, along the parking lot area, and Bonaquista said the path there is now tree-lined.
The apples include different old heirloom varieties, including Arkansas Black and also old “peach-cot,” a hybrid of peach and apricot fruit.
Bonacquista’s place at home, formerly owned by “Soapy Joe,” owner of Nucla’s original laundromat, is plentiful with 100-plus year old peach-cot trees. Kids did gather scion from her old trees and grafted it last spring too.
This winter, students will dump a few buckets of water on the new trees, but the orchard should be fine. The class intentionally planted it to receive irrigation from the school’s sprinkler system that waters the new landscape.
The fruit trees are tagged and labeled, complete with the name of the student who grafted each one. Bonacquista said the teens did acknowledge the trees will be there for some time. She said they spoke about what it would be like to someday return, when they’re older and the trees are mature. They do hope to do a reunion photograph one day.
Bonacquista said the orchard project turned out beautifully. She’s especially grateful to Nelson, who helped with so much.
“She is my apple professional,” Bonacquista said. “She came and helped, and it’s so great to have her feedback and suggestions.”
