Obtaining and Planting Your Trees - Growing Organic Orchard Fruits - page 349

FIGURE 7.2
Laying Out Planting Rows with a Marked Rope
ABOVE: Use stakes or flags to mark the ends of the tree rows along the
sides of the planting block. Using a rope longer than the length of the tree
rows, tie knots or flags the distance apart that you want your trees
planted. Pull the rope tightly between corresponding stakes along the
ends of the planting block, and use stakes to mark the location for each
tree in that row. The trees can be set in a square grid (as shown here) or
offset ( figure 3.7 ➔ ).
You can use a measuring tape or flagged rope, as described above, to mark
planting hole locations within the rows. A wooden pole or section of PVC
pipe cut as long as you want the trees apart is also a convenient way to
measure between planting holes. This technique works particularly well in
high-density plantings where trees are closely spaced within rows.