When planning a new orchard, it is important to consider location, water availability and quality, irrigation system selection, pre-plant soil modification, rootstock, and variety selection. Mistakes made during the planning process will be present throughout the orchard’s life. Below are some considerations to keep in mind when selecting a site, rootstock, and variety. Site selection and modification. Soil type. Soils that have a high water holding content can be problematic when trying to access the orchard in early spring. Furthermore, these soils may also increase the risk of “wet feet” and Phytophthora infections. Rocky soils can make  orchard operations like harvesting and mowing challenging, but generally can be managed unless it is more rocks than soil.  Saline-alkaline soils will have challenges with water infiltration. These soils often require pre-plant leaching or modification to leach salts. Salinity. Soil salinity should be below1.5 dS/m as an average of the rooting depth (five feet). To determine the salt levels, soil samples should be collected from each of the differing soil types in the field.. Sample plugs or auger cores of each soil type in 4-5 locations. At each location, sample every 12 in of depth to 60 in. Combine and pool samples at a given depth (e.g. combine and mix 4-5 samples at 12 in depth, 4-5 samples at 24 in depth etc).   A composite sample should be pulled for every 20 acres, with a minimum of three samples for smaller fields. Nematodes. When soil sampling for salinity and soil nutrients, set aside some of the soil  from the 12-24”   depth samples for nematode analysis. Submit the soil to a lab that can test for nematodes. For almond and other stonefruit, nematodes of concern are ring, root lesion, and rootknot. If counts are greater than 50 per liter (or 500 grams) of soil