Ferme de la Dîme: Biodiversity-Rich Agriculture

Shall we talk about planting?

First, the orchard. It will consist of 40 trees. The varieties are relatively established, but we cannot rule out a last-minute change. Today, apple, pear, plum, cherry, sour cherry, quince, and mulberry trees. The entire area will be protected because the cows will graze the plot. This is more commonly known as a pasture-orchard. This is beneficial for limiting damage from voles and especially for limiting weed competition.

Furthermore, the trees provide essential shade for the animals during intense summer heat, reduce soil erosion, and locally moderate the climate. For their part, the cows enrich the soil with their droppings and trample vole tunnels, notorious enemies of orchards.

And not far away, two sections of double-row hedge, which will total 170 meters of diversified double-row hedge. The objective is simple: to bring back a lost shrub heritage to welcome and nourish local wildlife.

The time has come… time to plant!

On 19 December 2025, PlantC was able to officially receive the completed planting works.
It had been agreed with Françoise and Paul-Emile that the planting site would be carried out collectively. Under the clear guidance of the professional planter, around ten volunteers came together to help bring the farmer’s vision to life. The hedge itself was planted by Akela SRL.

The works in pictures

The place of the ancestor. A moment of reflection was shared with the group. Standing at the heart of the future orchard is an old fruit tree, a true “ancestor”. The question arose: is it more interesting to keep it aligned with the rows of young fruit trees, or to place it between the rows? The decision was made: it would be surrounded by young fruit trees—its “children” (as Frédérique Hupin aptly put it). In total, 38 fruit trees were planted in this area. Two additional fruit trees were planted on a nearby plot, alongside older fruit trees.

Grafting work to preserve plant heritage

Pomko also explains the work carried out: top-grafting. Why top-grafting? To preserve old varieties.

On the plot, only two fruit trees remained, each of a different variety:

• One is called Balleau (apple tree).

• The other is an unknown variety.

The idea? Rather than leaving them as they were, the aim was to “multiply” them using a technique known as top-grafting (similar to grafting, but performed on an already established tree).
The craftsman planter used four young trees (known here as “Gueule de Mouton”, a type of rootstock) and grafted scions from the last two orchard trees onto them.

The result:

• 2 copies of the Balleau variety

• 2 copies of the unknown variety

This way, even if the original trees were to disappear, their varieties would be preserved.

Bonus: there is also a Beurré Hardy tree onto which a rare variety called Triomphe de Jodoigne (no longer available from nurseries) will be grafted. This ensures that this variety is not lost either.