I'd assume that they could have grown the food elsewhere near Appleoosa... if it ever rained with any consistency there. As it was, they needed to plant by the river to provide water to the trees. Plants need water, magic or no magic.
I must be spectacularly unobservant, because now I can't even remember a river.
Actaully they stated the reason they needed to plant the trees there was it was the only large expanse of flat ground near to appleloosa, the rest of the area was to rocky to have any topsoil. EP's can make plants grow for better then they would on their own, but they do still need the basic requirments.
Build a fool proof system, and the world will create a better fool.
My random thoughts
@seraphem: Fair enough. I guess that Cherry Orchard in Dodge Junction is near a water source.
@What Nah, it's not like a non-earth pony makes plants wither when they work with them.
I'm sure Fluttershy's a great gardener.
@Mio I doubt that other ponies are incapable of keeping gardens as a hobby, though. They just can't feed the whole populous.
I'd pick the second option.
Tealove is best pony.
Pony Fanon Index
@Lurker: Probably, though it does seem odd that the other tribes would be completely incapable of feeding themselves without the Earth Ponies. It's one thing to say that one side grows a lot more food, but another to say that it is the only side that grows food (be it for natural, cultural, or political reasons).
What would a sky orchard look like?
Sometimes locations/populaces are controlled solely because of resources - I can't really see pegasi with their own distinct type of food other then candy floss honestly.
I can envision a garden of clouds with water- and rainbow-falls, threaded with tall stone columns from a mountaintop.
Or the soil in that land was so bad that it required EP magic to overcome it's deficiencies and make stuff grow in any amount worth the effort.
Build a fool proof system, and the world will create a better fool.
My random thoughts
You could shape the clouds into pretty things appropriate for a garden, (check out RD's pimp crib yo) but could they actually make food out of clouds? Do they eat clouds?
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Was there a river near by? I actually don't remember seeing one.
Somehow I think she'll just get befriended by Pinkie.
