Guémené-Penfao: former engineer François Wallon opened his organic fruit tree nursery

“I don’t have one never enjoyed schoolwhile being good student“, says Francois Vallon, 29 years old. To the point where he went to the end engineering degree. “I chose this path because it offers the widest range of outlets when you don’t know what to do. However, “I did not see how society is organized around the need to adopt a sustainable lifestyle. I did not find anything that spoke to me, that I liked, that corresponded to my values, neither in the institutions nor in what was offered to me.”

COP 21 and the movie “Tomorrow”.

The click takes place in the “last year of school”, during which time it is possible to go to school Paris Conference of the Parties (COP) 21where global commitments to curb it are being discussed climate change. “I also watched Mélanie Laurent and Cyril Dion’s Demain. The film optimistically describes the solutions being implemented to combat the declared disaster. ” This movie haunted me, he inspired me and gave me potatoes. “I never asked myself the question about agriculture, I only associated it with large mechanized surfaces,” he explains. city ​​dwellerSon of a veterinarian and consultant trainer from Nantes.

A year off full of experiences

After his first professional experience in project management, François Vallon convinces himself to become his own boss. work with your hands outdoors . “I took it year off and i have travelmeeting with the villagers Central America , entrepreneurs who have created their own business. I was told I had anything to succeedmy project, as a white man, graduate from a rich country! » Francois Vallon continued experiments within associations in seed plantations, cultivation of medicinal plants, arboriculture.

Volunteer work on an organic farm

Then he went on a tour of organic farms in France in a motorhome, WWOOFing, volunteering with the organic farm network (Worldwide Organic Farming Opportunities). “I worked on the farm for two weeks medicinal plants two months later the size of the vinesand two months kindergarten. I met people who want to create their own kindergartens. Then I said to myself: “Me too!” »

Why this choice? “Kindergarten economic niche. I can produce trees of the same quality as the industry more competitive prices. Young trees do not require large areas to grow. I can also take vacations when the trees are grafted. »

Desire for local production and consumption

Why garden fruit trees? “There is less enthusiasm for fruit and old varieties Healthy mind. My wish would be that we can do it in every area eat good fruits produced on site , the whole year. Not fruits that cross countries or oceans before being eaten. For this, people should plant fruit trees! »

An opportunity in Guénouvry

There is Francois Wallon tested and ” is reliable» last year’s project « with a friend in Nord-sur-Erdre. And I started planting again 1000 trees In the spring of 2022, since the fall of 2022, I have been doing marketing on my own” Guénouvry. She and her “boyfriend” were able to buy a house last summer, next to which there is a hectare of land that she dedicated to a kindergarten.

Grows a nursery apples, pears, nashi, plums, peaches, cherries, quinces, hazelnuts, walnuts and berry bushes: currants, casillas, raspberries and raspberries . “I chose them for offering the best product warranty. “Especially because he chose to” old species and regional “, adapted to the vagaries of the soil and climate, bearing in summer, autumn and even in winter, and whose fruits can be preserved.

Drought resistance

There are mostly fruit trees has been moved to provide a “taste of the fruit”. Kindergarten relies on roots” drought resistanton it he grafted the branches of carefully selected trees. “By allowing the trees to hybridize naturally, we are not guaranteed to get tasty fruit. »

“I sell sweets, one-year trees those with only one stem, with bare roots, evolved in conditions similar to the environment in which they will grow. I don’t put them in a pot, like in the industry, cut or hairless, which feeds the plants for four or five years with fertilizers and forced roots that form buns. »

Vaccination experience in February and March 2023

In addition to the sale of trees, François Vallon offers tree grafting services“on the spot” where root crops are planted and harvested, “support in the creation of an orchard of more than 25 fruit trees”, vaccination courses.

First vaccination coursein kindergarten is held on Saturdays, February 11, 25, and March 11, 2023, for three and a half days. “There are a few places left. Cadets learn theory and put it into practice. They will leave the training knowing how it works. »

Innovative fertilization and mulching

François Wallon has designed his activity in such a way that it exists the least negative impact on the environment. “I do everything by hand, without compacting the soil with oil-consuming machines. » He is experimenting“natural fertilization” systemat the foot of a bush. “I planted a lot of rosemary, lavender, blackberry, sage, labatère. They will form a bush that I can prune by placing it on the ground without moving it. This will cover the base of the tree when fertilizing the soil on the site. He also plans to plant “very dense” populations of corn, sunflowers and broad beans along his line. “It will create a ‘jungle’ that I will clear as I go. »

Looking for 4000 m2 in Guénouvry

“II am looking for 4000 m2 landhere in Guénouvry, ideally in Dastres, where I can walk or cycle there, where I can take grafts with the aim of creating a conservatory garden, andpromote biodiversity. I would like to turn it into a village garden, share it, let the harvest be collective.

To buy seedlings, attend a course or ask for advice or services, you should contact Francois Vallon directly by phone or SMS at 07 83 82 74 57. Her Le Clos des Fruitiers nursery will not have an email address or website. “I don’t want to run data centers”, it’s too expensive in terms of energy.

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