Ferme de la Dîme: Biodiversity-Rich Agriculture

Shall we talk about planting?

First of all, the orchard. It consists of 40 standard fruit trees. Everything is protected because cows graze the plot. This is more commonly known as an orchard meadow. This is beneficial to limit damage caused by voles and, above all, to limit 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.

Now it’s time… to plant!

On 19 December 2025, PlantC was able to receive the planting. It had been agreed with Françoise and Paul-Emile that the planting worksite could be carried out collectively. Under the planter’s precise instructions, around ten volunteers mobilised to make the farmer’s dream come true. The hedge, for its part, was planted by Akela SRL.

The worksite in pictures

The ancestor’s place. A moment of reflection was led by the group. Standing in the middle of the future orchard is an ancestral fruit tree. Is it more interesting to leave it in the line of the young fruit trees or between the rows? The choice is made: it is surrounded by the young fruit trees, its little ones… (words by Frédérique Hupin). In the end, 38 trees were planted in this area. 2 other fruit trees were planted on a nearby plot, alongside older fruit trees.

Grafting work to safeguard plant heritage

Pomko also specifies the work he carried out: top-working. Why? To preserve old varieties.

On the plot, there were only two fruit trees left, each of a different variety:

• One is called Balleau (apple tree).
• The other is an unknown variety.

The idea? Instead of leaving them as they are, the aim is to “multiply” them using a technique called top-working (a bit like grafting, but on an already existing tree). The planting craftsman used 4 young trees (called here “Gueule de Mouton”, a type of rootstock) and grafts pieces from the last 2 trees in the orchard onto them. Result: we will have 2 copies of the Balleau variety and 2 copies of the unknown variety. That way, even if the original trees disappear, their varieties will be preserved!

Bonus: There is also another tree, a Beurré Hardy, onto which we will graft a rare variety called Triomphe de Jodoigne (which can no longer be found in nurseries). That way, this variety won’t be lost!

We wish a long, beautiful life to Françoise’s trees and shrubs!

Visit to Françoise – Planting inspection

On 2 April 2026, we check how well the planting has taken. The planting is doing wonderfully, with a take rate above 95%, confirmed during the inspection visit. The protections put in place for sheep grazing have been validated and will help keep the young trees in excellent condition when the livestock arrives.

At the end of April 2026, a second visit was carried out with Blooo, a contributor to the project, during which we ran an awareness-raising workshop dedicated to the four seasons in the orchard: growth, dormancy, flowering, fruiting. This session made it possible to cover the principles of seasonal management and to observe the trees’ development in a very concrete way.

We also noted with them the successful establishment of the hedges, which structure the orchard, strengthen local biodiversity and harmoniously complete all the developments.

A Word from Françoise