Orchard Trials

Welcome to Hollow Brook, a little research farm in the hills. Growers come to you with a question: which apple gives the most fruit, which tomato loves which fertiliser, which lavender the bees prefer. Your job is to plant a trial that gives a fair answer. FIELDS ARE NEVER EVEN One corner is wet, one slope gets the sun, the soil is richer downhill. Plant all of one variety in the good soil and it will look best, even if it isn't. So you plant clever patterns instead: every variety once in every row and every column, so the good and bad soil is shared out fairly. DESIGN, DON'T GUESS Each field is a grid puzzle with many possible answers, and you choose one. Work around old trees, ponds and barns. Balance hedged paddocks. Make every variety sit beside every other exactly once. Pair every crop with every fertiliser. Fit everything into narrow strips where every pair shares a bed equally.…