12-7 FB Espalier

 What’s an espalier? It’s a very fancy way that you can grow apples if you so choose. I’m David Sparks and I’ll be right back with a sophisticated fruit story in a minute. Espalier is a means by which you can train and shape trees of any type to grow in two dimensions (as in laterally and vertically) in an ornamental design. There’s certainly an ornamental dimension but also a practical application as well. Bob Crum grew up in Nampa and graduated from Nampa High School in 1942. He served in World War II and went on to a career making and teaching dental prosthetics at universities in Chicago. But along his journey through life he started experimenting with fruit trees. Now living in Eagle, ID Bob  is growing espalier apple trees and places them…: “the espalier along a wall which would then help the fruit to ripen faster” So espalier looks good, apples taste good, can be grown in an urban setting…nothing wrong with that picture is there?