TAKING A STEP UP

Below are the splendid new steps which were constructed this week, by the National Trust Task Force, to replace those made in an emergency when we were flooded in  January 2014. We hope these will last much longer and thank the Task Force for doing such a good job.

WASSAIL PARTY 2017

WORKING PARTY UPDATE

The forecast for today is dire…..wet all morning. I am going to CANCEL today’s working Party……will reinstate it for next week ( Wednesday 16 Nov)
 
Hopefully see you next week (Wednesday 16 Nov at 9.30).

If you are interested in helping do contact me (Helen on 01883 713160).

MID OCTOBER 2016

We had a lovely visit to the Orchard recently from the Oxted Rainbows. They were delighted to do some tasting (as you can see in the picture) and proclaimed Sunset to be their favourite apple. They did a scavenger hunt too, organised by their leader Sapphire, finding different leaves and seeds. Later they enjoyed hot dogs cooked on a camping stove by their other leader Amethyst. We are very much hoping that they will come again.

THE FOOD PROGRAMME: BBC RADIO 4

Do try to catch the Food Programme broadcast first at 12.35 am on Sunday 9 October on BBC Radio 4. A wonderful evocation of the joys of growing and eating apples….some of their history and even a little on the delights of the Wassail.  It puts into perspective all that we are trying to do at the Community Orchard.

Click here to listen now.

WORKING PARTY 19 OCTOBER

We need a Working Party to give the site a tidy up before the winter (Wednesday 19  October from 10.00am)

·        Cut down and dig out the 2 George Cave apple trees which have canker. We are going to replace them with a variety of dessert apple which will store into the winter.
·        Cut back the hedging on the A25 where it obscures the sight line when crossing over
·        Weed the tree sites
·        Cut back the hedging along the Eastern boundary + bramble and nettle
·        General bramble removal along grass margins and outside the Orchard onto the A25
·        Weed the wood chipped area in front of the laurel hedge.
·        Review and possibly strengthen the tree guard stakes which in some cases are beginning to rot
 
There should still be plenty of Herefordshire Russets to pick. These will store well up to Christmas
 
ps: coffee/bix provided for everyone

TASTING TWO

Tea and apple cake

We had a most successful afternoon for our second tasting session at the Orchard (last Saturday 24th September) with several children and some new visitors who had seen the invitation on the blackboard outside the Limpsfield Memorial Stores. Indeed if you would like to collect some of our Orchard apples they are available in the Stores for a small donation.

There are plenty of Sunsets left on the trees, and any Herefordshire Russets that are picked should keep well until December.

Remember that ripe fruit will lift off gently so be careful when picking. But do go up and taste different apples….it might make you decide to plant some in your own garden.

We have decided to remove the 2 George Cave trees which are sadly infected with canker. So we are now researching a late harvesting apple (a keeper) and one that might be more resistant to canker. We will be planting in the winter when the trees are dormant.

We will be having a working party on wed 19th at 10-00 to tidy the site and weed before the winter. If you are interested do contact me (Helen on 01883 713160).

Our new Niwaki ladder

Herefordshire Russet in full fruit

Tasting the fruit

Perfect Lord Lambourn

HARVEST/TASTING REMINDER

We had a good gathering last week with much enjoyable tasting. Visitors went home with over 15lbs of damsons and a few each of Fiesta, Katy (all gone now) and Bountiful (a cooker) We were also able to take home 3 perfect Beth pears…..these have to be picked and eaten at home when fully ripe.
This Saturday (24 September) there will be plenty of Bramley Seedling (we are going to use our fancy new ladder) and some Lord Lambourne, Ellison’s Orange and some Sunset. The Herefordshire Russets and Newton Wonder (cooker) are later so we should be picking those in early October. Sadly the Laxton Superb have not done well, but on the whole I am pleased with the crop now the fruit are maturing. The Buerre Hardy pears will be ready to harvest in a couple of weeks.

We’ll be at the Orchard from 2.30 to about 4pm so do come along to see how YOUR Orchard is doing.

Teas/coffee/fruit juice and APPLE CAKE!

Looking forward to seeing lots of you there

Helen and the Orchard TEAM

TASTING AND HARVEST

Sunday 18 September at 2.30pm (we especially hope families with children can come to this one)
AND
Saturday 24 September at 2.30pm

Do come along and see what sort of crop we have this year. We will taste all varieties which are ripe, and some will be available to take home.

Coffee/teas/apple juice and APPLE CAKE too.

Any offers to make apple cake greatly appreciated….please reply by e-mail or telephone 01883 713160.

Mid Summer Orchard Update

  Up in the Orchard we have just completed thinning the apples….using our lovely new Niwaki ladder (Japanese no less) which surely means the trees are indeed growing. In fact the Bramley Seedling is pretty enormous now and is carrying a good crop for the first time. However Bountiful, another cooking apple, which did so very well last year, is hardly bearing any fruit at all. The Herefordshire Russets are looking good, as are Katy (really early) and Ellison’s Orange.

The Sunset which was nibbled by the rabbit in February has had the “bandage” removed now and the bark appears to be hardening off. BUT we have been advised to remove most of the apples in order to spare its strength. Its twin, the other Sunset, is looking great….I think they are my favourite in the Orchard!

We do have some problems with a fungal infection (scab) which means some of the apples crack somewhat…..letting in disease which then rots them. I am investigating an organic method to deal with this for next year as it seems to be on the increase in the Northern part of the Orchard.

The 6 pear trees all have some fruit but the Buerre Hardys have the most and have a delicious flavour….a connoisseur’s pear.

We are planning two Harvest and Tasting days

Sunday 18 and Saturday 24 September from 2.30pm.

Do come along…..you will be able to test each apple (and possibly pear) that is ripe, and will be able to take some home too.

MAY 2016 UPDATE

On Saturday a group met up at the Orchard to admire this year’s blossom….and pretty good it is looking too. The pears have all blossomed well this year showing how they are maturing (particularly the Buerre Hardy which takes a few years to establish) and all pears trees have set fruit for the first time.

This is Conference pear showing the tiny fruitlets

The apples have nearly all got good blossom too….and I am particularly pleased to see the trees which are near to the greedy Copper Beech flowering well. (Katy and Fiesta)  The Sunset tree which was nibbled by the rabbit in March, and now bandaged up looks amazingly good. I can’t believe it will make a crop this year with such devastating girdling, but who knows? Maybe it will surprise us all.

Sunset blossom

However the two George Cave which were struggling last year are now looking even worse. They are already mis-shapen following pruning to try to get rid of canker …..but now the trees look even more bedraggled. Why these trees? I have no idea why they should have been so affected. We’ll be watching them carefully this year….it could be their last!

 

George Cave looking poorly…….

We will be having a working party shortly for a tidying up exercise......and then in the Autumn (mid September onwards) we will gather together for the best meetings of the year.....Tasting and Harvest. We are going to try some Sunday afternoons.... we are very keen to include Limpsfield School children and their parents.

Blossom Celeration

COME AND HELP US CELEBRATE THE BLOSSOM IN OUR ORCHARD

 Saturday 14 MAY

10-30 TO 12

DO JOIN US

BRING YOUR CHILDREN AND MAKE SOME NEW FRIENDS

COFFEE and APPLE CAKE of course!

Further information from Helen (01883 713160)

 helenellson205@btinternet.com

 

Flowers on the route approaching the orchard

A general view of the orchard

Blossom on the Comice pear

Damaged Sunset tree showing its protective bandage

 

MANURING DAY 19 March

Eleven keen Friends assembled at the Orchard yesterday to do the annual weed, manure and mulch of the trees. The trees look very cosy under a warm duvet of rotted manure and 6 month old wood chip. We have found this regime essential both to feed the trees but also to keep the winter moisture around the roots. The sap has started to rise and the buds are swelling…..here’s to a fruitful season.

Many thanks to everyone who came to help….our next working party will be a general tidying up with possibly a bonfire….date yet to be arranged.

We are planning a blossom viewing Coffee Morning in May.

JOB DONE!

RABBIT DAMAGE

This is a picture of the damage found at the end of February on one of our most prolifically cropping trees….Sunset. We think a single rabbit would have caused the wound…..and this girdling is most likely to kill the tree. Because the outer bark and cambium layer have been damaged so badly, water and nutrients can not progress up the tree.
RHS Advisory suggests that we do nothing and see what happens……but meanwhile we could wrap some damp moss around the area, securing it under plastic to try to give a warmer damp environment to encourage regrowth if that is possible.

Also we must be extra vigilant with ensuring the chicken wire protection around every tree remains securely in place……we still have 29 other trees to look after!

WORKING PARTY: SATURDAY 19 MARCH

Our next working party is on Sat 19 March starting at 10am……with coffee at about 11am.

·         Weed around each tree
·         Spread manure around each tree (already bagged up in October)
·         Cover whole tree site with wood chip to conserve moisture…..
·         Leave tree having checked the stake (if there is one) with tie leaving room to grow, no constricting labels AND THE RABBIT NETTING SECURELY PINNED TO THE GROUND WITH NO SPACE UNDERNEATH

There are also some tree trunks ready cut in the woods which we could use in the orchard tree circles or even make into some wooden stepping stones for the children!

So you’ll need to bring gloves, grab bags for the weeds, kneelers, hand forks, border fork/spade for manipulating the manure and mulch, possibly a rake or 2 and if anyone has a wheelbarrow that would be marvellous.

Hoping to see some new faces there…….you are all welcome for coffee however long you can stay!

With good wishes to you all….and hoping for a bumper year

Helen and the Orchard TEAM

PRUNING MASTER CLASS 2016

We have spent some of this weekend (mid February) pruning our apple trees. It was rather wet and cold on Saturday when we held the Master Class (led as usual most ably by Jan Lambourn) but we had 10 “students” who braved the weather and hopefully enjoyed the morning in the orchard. During the afternoon we visited the walled garden at Barrow Green (run most productively by Linda Boakes and Rick Meakin to whom we owe our thanks) where we tackled a very ancient pair of espalier apple trees.

In our Orchard, most trees are growing well, with just a couple showing signs of canker (which had to be pruned out of course) In fact the amount of wood removed was pretty minimal for some trees……others like the Bramley Seedling needed quite large branches removing. The aim is to keep the centre open, to remove any diseased and crossing branches and to ensure growth remains balanced over the whole tree. Fruit buds are much in evidence on most trees and so we hope that the Wassail will ensure a good fruit set following the blossom and a good crop of apples. The pears were hardly touched at all. In the summer we will reduce some of the tallest branches. Doing it then will reduce the number of also watershoots.

This year we decided that some of the wiring of the deer guards is inhibiting the natural growth so in some cases we have cut and bent the wiring down to allow spread of the branches and avoid any rubbing. The large stakes supporting the wiring will not last for ever….but the trees are stronger now and hopefully can withstand a little deer nibbling should that occur.

WASSAIL 2016

Getting everything ready at the Orchard

This year’s Wassail on 7 February was a great success with over 220 people enjoying the torchlight procession and the amazing bonfire. We were extremely lucky with the weather…..dry both during the preparation (building the bonfire etc) and the evening…..with heavy rain and wind only arriving as we were clearing up. The Wassail Captain (Ed Heaver) and his merry men excelled this year with extra drumming and even more wacky songs, very much enjoyed by the many children….all singing along of course. The mulled cider and our traditional apple cake (+ by request) hot dogs disappeared in no time.

We asked for donations towards the Orchard and we were gratified by most generous contributions. The Wassail is our biggest means of raising money each year and the money will be put to good use….paying towards insurance and mowing for a start.

This event could only take place with help given so generously by our many Friends…Jennie Ephgrave (managing the whole event) Eleanor, Stuart Fox, Peter Tindell, Michael Whyte and Peter Jarvis (making the torches) Ian Green and Matt Dawson (bonfire), Sarah Salmon (sausages) Rosemary Buchan (song sheets) Nigel (again) for photography, and the other many many others who man the route with torches, serve the cider hot dogs and apple cake and stay afterwards to tidy up. Indeed a truly community event.

We are pruning this Saturday (13 February), and then spreading the manure on a Saturday in March so do come along if you would like to help. We will be reminding everyone of the date nearer the time.

After that we will be looking forward to seeing the blossom and the bluebells and spring will be with us.

The photos below give just a hint of the fun and excitement of the evening. 

WASSAIL PARTY 2016

WASSAIL PARTY

Sunday 7 February

5.00pm assemble at the Limpsfield British Legion  

where you can buy a drink

6.00pm  Torchlight procession through woods to the orchard, where we shall offer cider, bread and salt to the “King” tree and pass round the wassail bowl.  After singing together around the bonfire we will serve mulled cider, juice, hotdogs and apple cake

Everyone - especially families – Welcome

Bring  rattles, drums, whistles, tins anything to make a loud noise    

Wear something warm and bright

Donations very welcome

(eg £2 per head would cover our costs)

For more information 

phone 01883 716523