About the workshop:

While many of our farm and garden activities are paused in the winter, this is the time of year to prune fruit trees to increase their health, fruit production, and longevity. And since at least half of a tree resides underground, it comes as no surprise that soil conditions also greatly affect how a tree thrives. Winter pruning stimulates Springtime growth, and a skilled arborist can help a tree to grow into a strong, stable shape and also address diseased areas. In addition to pruning, we can help our fruit trees by making sure they have the soil organisms that they partner with underground. These organisms–including fungi, bacteria, protozoa, and nematodes–help a tree get the water and nutrients it needs to resist pests and disease and to increase the nutrient content and flavor of its fruits. Mulching around fruit trees helps create the conditions beneficial soil organisms need and it also allows a tree to make the best use of any water it receives, which is truly imperative in this dry winter we’re having. 

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This field day will take place at the Alumni Orchard at the Northern New Mexico College Campus in El Rito. We will get hands-on instruction and practice in both the above and below ground care of fruit trees. Join experienced arborists Kelsey Pazera and Tim Petty as they show and provide guidance on how to prune fruit trees. Soil health consultants Lina Alegre and Navona Gallegos will lead us in inoculating the soil with compost extract and applying wood mulch. 

Bring pruning tools if you have them and soil and tree-related questions. Delicious, locally sourced lunch from Nixta Ancestral Foods will be provided. 

About the instructors:

Kelsey Pazera is an ISA certified arborist who has been working professionally amongst the trees for 7 years. She got her start at Tooley’s Trees in Truchas, NM by learning skills such as plant propagation, holistic orcharding methods, pruning, and soil health. Kelsey is a lover of all things trees, a bit of an apple nerd, and a life-long learner who is excited to share her passion with others. 

Tim Petty is an arborist and gardener of 20 years. The last ten of those years he has focused on fruit tree health and syntropic agroforestry in drylands of the semi-arid West. He promotes food forest style agriculture systems in both the rural and urban setting. 

Lina Alegre is a South American native who has been living in northern New Mexico for almost a decade after falling in love with the region. As a Soil Food Web School Certified Lab Tech, she has enhanced her appreciation and understanding of nature at the microscale, assessing soil and compost samples. Her work on the macroscale is through building human community, helping facilitate programs like “Women in Ag” in Spanish through the Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute and she serves at Northern NM Community College as a Community Liaison. 

Navona Gallegos has worked professionally in the space of soil and ecology for 11 years. Her work is informed by deep multi-generational farming roots in New Mexico as well as education from the University of Virginia in Ecology, Permaculture Design, and Dr. Elaine Ingham’s Soil Food Web School. Navona incorporates western science and permaculture training with lived experience as a farmer and teachings from mentors from across Turtle Island, the Caribbean, and Central Africa.