In Memorium: Michael Phillips
Doug Doetsch, the founder of Seminary Hill Catskills, remembers Michael Phillips: farmer, writer, carpenter, orchard consultant and speaker; husband and father; friend and inspiration to many; keeper of Heartsong Farm.
Ten years ago, in early 2012, I wrote to Michael Phillips and asked if he would consider consulting with us on a small orchard on my long-time family homestead above the hamlet of Callicoon, New York. We needed an orchard site evaluation, and consultation on root stocks, cider varieties and cider production.
After some back and forth with Michael on dates for a visit and the scope of the consultation, we agreed to meet in Callicoon on May 20, 2012. It was clear from our first meeting that Michael was a “force” of nature - energies in all directions, deep wells of knowledge, yet a disciplined, good humored and patient teacher. He took soil samples, advised on rootstocks, suggested spacing for the B118 rootstocks he favored, compared the relative merits of American heirlooms vs English varieties vs French varieties. And spent a lot of time talking about healthy, living soils and their fungal networks.
A few months later Michael was in touch to tell us that the field where we planned to plant our first batch of trees was viable but needed a lot of help. Like much of the nearby land, this field was thick clay and rocks. (My father had told me often that the only crop that the field was capable of producing was more rocks.) Michael prescribed a regimen of cover-cropping: buckwheat, clover and then winter oats, all to enrich the earth and lighten the clay.
With input from some of his fellow authors at Chelsea Green publishing, Michael drew up a list of 12-15 cider apples as our core varieties and connected us with Cummins Nursery. We then learned that patience was in order: the trees needed to be custom grafted and - due to the demand for cider varieties - would not be ready until spring 2014. Not to worry, said Michael: the extra year before planting would be well spent in more cover-cropping.
Michael’s first visit in spring 2012 was followed by annual spring visits up through 2018. Starting in 2014, he taught us how to plant young apple trees (“whips”) and also a broad variety of companion plants to encourage pollinators to make our orchard their home. With extraordinarily patient explanations, he guided our band of orchard hands (a rotating cast of city and college friends, close cousins, local neighbors, our sons’ friends) in how to prepare the planting holes, arrange the young roots of each tree whip, and bed in the tree whips for what we all hope will be a long life. And as the first tree of each spring session was planted, Michael gathered that year’s group of orchard hands, spilled some cider in the hole and said Wassailly blessing over our endeavors.
Michael narrated a short video from the spring 2017 planting session, illustrating how the earth is prepared to nurture the young trees and provide them resilience for their hopefully multi-generational lives. Michael liked to take the long view, predicting that the B118 rootstocks and our early care for these trees would mean our great grandchildren would be picking cider apples from these same trees.
Those planting sessions, guided by Michael, were great fun. Hard work, long days, full of stories and jokes. Our planting crew was not good at political correctness, and the jibes were usually scatological, profane and high spirited. Michael gave as good as he got. Lunch was usually grilled venison sandwiches and cider. And lots more cider at the end of the day.
Michael, we will miss you. You were scheduled to host workshops at our upcoming Seminary Hill anniversary celebrations on May 14 and 15. We will toast to you.
Cheers. Raise your glass high.
