Ridge Demonstration Garden:

Fruit Orchard

Orchard Fruit trees and orchards are listed in the 1836 valuation of Major Ridge's property on the Oostanaula River. Major Ridge's orchards on the Oostanaula River contained: 1134 peach trees National Park Service 335 418 apple trees 21 cherry trees 11 quince trees 4 plumb [plum] orchards (including several varieties) The location of Ridges orchards: Two orchards listed in Ridge’s valuation are significantly larger than the others. These are the peach orchard and the apple orchard. These orchards, given their size would likely have been grown as commercial crops as opposed to being used for subsistence. The location of these orchards and their configuration is shown on the Ridge Period Historic Period Plan 1”=100’ scale drawing. These orchard locations and their size and configurations are known with a very high degree of certainty based on evidence from several sources and the computer georectification of the 1832 land lot survey and 1853 Burwell to Battey map as described on page 284. The location of the apple orchard shown on the historic period plan is based on the similar growing requirements between peaches and apples and therefore the likelihood that they would be planted in similar growing condition locations. If one extends the layout of the peach orchard to the north from the fixed and known boundary of the Echota road, given the same spacing of 30 foot on center, the area required for 418 trees is as shown on the Historic Period Plan. The smaller cherry and quince orchards listed in Major Ridge’s valuation were almost certainly used for subsistence and would have been located close to the house, kitchen and garden area.