Category Archives: Orchard

Pruning espaliers

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It’s April 1st and the cold continues. We’re still pruning and it’s been espaliers today. Our pruning will bring on the fruit buds and the strong lateral horizontal branches growing along the existing trellis.

Take the scene of three apple trees in a line trying to grow outwards and up to the sky. The idea is to train them along your wires or bamboo trellis (or whatever material you are using). By removing this years top shoots and outward growth this encourages growth along the supports and more fruit buds within that growth. 

Espaliers are therefore fantastic trees for borders and boundaries and alongside paths. Where space is limited they can be incorporated efficiently and at stately homes in the kitchen gardens, you will normally see a line of espaliers in front of a brick wall providing a sun trap for early ripening fruit, and natural protection against frosts, as well as being sheltered from wind.

Despite it being overcast in the pictures below, hopefully you can see the general idea of removing unwanted growth by pruning using standard secateurs. In the spring with the sap rising, nutrients from the rootstock will flood the remaining fruit buds and branches, encouraging growth in the direction of the supports.

Winter Tree Planting & Ongoing Pruning

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We were pleased to plant two new rows of ‘Red Devil’ apple trees today. We also planted some replacement Egremont Russets, Bramleys, William Crumps and Tickled Pinks.

The Red Devil apples have a pink flesh all the way through them and produce a lovely tasting pink apple juice.

The trees were from Frank Matthews nursery in the beautiful Teme Valley just outside of Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire and had really good looking healthy roots. We’ve planted them as maidens (first year trees) and they’re on MM106 root stock. Subject to our pruning, they would naturally grow to 3-4m high and similar width.

Having help from family and friends meant the planting only took a couple of hours. There was time for pruning of the Ashmead Kernels (early 18th century Gloucestershire dessert apple) and all of the Gladstone apples (dating back to the 1780s but reintroduced in 1868 by Blakedown nursery, near Kidderminster as Jackson’s Seedling and renamed Gladstone in 1883).

 

Book review & chill time pruning

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I’ve had fun pruning time this morning but it was cold and I felt like a ‘chill unit’ by the time I had finished!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve just read Pete Brown’s ‘The Apple Orchard’ and this is a cracker of a book & not just because I received it as a Santa present! I would heartily recommend this novel. It takes you through the journey of the apple and to current apple orchards. It discusses the magic of the apple, the images it conjures up. The mystique surrounding this celebrated fruit and a few of the festivals associated with it during the annual cycle.

Pete doesn’t love morris dancers. Being a morris dancer, some of the comments made me chuckle. By the end of the book he has learnt to put up with morris dancers, as generally wherever there is an apple festival, morris men (& ladies) are not that far away! Thanks for putting up with us…

Say hello to The Apple Orchard

So turning to ‘chill units’. The National Fruit Collection at Brogdale & the East Malling Research Centre (both in Kent) describe that for an apple tree to reach proper dormancy it needs at least 1000 ‘chill units’ A chill unit being an hour below 7 degrees. If this is achieved then the apple tree has properly rested and the likelihood of a good crop much increased. With global warming we’ll see if the regularity of a good crop is reduced as dormancy is likely to be achieved less and less.

As our trees are still young (the oldest are coming into their sixth season) we are pruning for growth. This means we’re removing a good amount of wood. We’re creating the ideal wine glass/goblet shape and ensuring that no branches are touching or crossing, that no shoots are growing inwardly towards the centre of the tree, and that we’re encouraging as much growth as possible. 

Later on in the year we’ll look at light summer pruning, between the end of July and the start of September to encourage more fruit buds in

 

Wassailing and our Fruitfields Wassail on the 27th December, 2017

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To Wassail or ‘Was-hail’ is the middle English for ‘good-health’ and at fruitfields we’ve been delighted to work with Barnt Green Parish Council to combine their annual winter community walks with a Wassail at fruitfields.

Over sixty intrepid adventurers braved the near freezing and windy conditions on the afternoon of December 27th, 2017 and we were thankful that it was dry.

Despite the wind blowing the gas double burner out, the fire pit saved the day and the pre-warmed mulled cider provided a good alternative to the mulled hot apple juice.

We wished the trees good health to provide a bumper crop of apples in 2018 and to thank them for the 2017 crop. We banged pots and pans to awaken the orchard and ensure any nasty bugs were driven away. Everyone made a good amount of noise following Ges our drummer to hang toast at the bottom of the orchard in the oldest trees.

Toast is traditionally hung to thank the trees for the fruit they have provided, and attract birds to dispatch any nasty bugs.

Fruitfields in the snow at sunset!

Hanging toast in the trees to encourage a good crop and remove any nasty bugs!

Robert & Simon doing a sterling job with the banners and as walk leaders.

Walkers warming up aroud the firepit with glasses of mulled cider and apple juice

Walkers warming up aroud the firepit with glasses of mulled cider and apple juice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We drunk and sung to the health of the apple trees and this included the following wassail verses:

Here’s to thee, old apple tree,
That blooms well, bears well.
Hats full, caps full.
Three bushel bags full,
An’ all under one tree. Hurrah! Hurrah!

Here’s to thee, old apple-tree,
Whence thou mayst bud, and whence thou mayst blow,
And whence thou mayst bear apples enough,
Hats full, caps full,
Bushel, bushel sacks-full.
And my pockets full, too! Hurrah!

Wassail! Wassail! All over the town,
Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown;
Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree;
With the wassailing bowl, we’ll drink unto thee.

Wassaile the trees, that they may beare
You many a Plum and many a Peare:
For more or lesse fruits they will bring
As you do give them Wassailing.
Apple tree prosper, bud, bloom and bear,
That we may have plenty of cider next year.
And when there’s a barrel, we hope there are ten,
That we may have cider when we come again.

Chorus:
With our wassail, wassail, wassail!
Joy come to our jolly wassail!

A-wassail, a-wassail! The Moon, she shines down;
The apples are ripe and the nuts they are brown.
Whence thou mayest bud, dear old apple tree,
And when thou mayest bear, we sing unto thee,

Chorus:
With our wassail, wassail, wassail!
Joy come to our jolly wassail!

Love and joy come to you
And to you your wassail, too
And God bless you, and send you
A Happy New Year and God send you a
Happy New Year!

Fruitfields Pruning Courses for 2018: A perfect Christmas & New Year present!

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www.fruitfields.co.uk are delighted to offer 2 practical outdoor pruning courses on Saturday January 20th and Saturday March 3rd, 2018.

The sessions will run from 10am until 12.30pm and cost £25 per person. The group size is strictly limited to a maximum of 10 people and the course will cover the following topics:

  • Why we prune
  • Practical sessions
  • How to prune & pruning techniques
  • The history of pruning
  • A tour of our orchards
  • Developing your pruning strategy

To book your place, and avoid disappointment as places are on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, call Greg Hunt on Tel: 07860 937 469

Aerial view of our orchard where the pruning course will take place

Come and learn some practical pruning techniques within the heart of the North Worcestershire countryside. Wrap up warm and enjoy learning about the best ways to reduce the risk of disease, why we prune at all and the ability to enable a good harvest. Vitally, practical sessions will ensure everyone has the confidence to understand the best ways to prune, and to remember what they have learnt. 

Whether you have one fruit tree or several, or just want to expand on your existing knowledge, then this course will introduce you to best techniques. We strongly believe the best way to learn is to do it yourself.

With more than 650 fruit trees and separate coppices requiring pruning across our 7 acres of orchards in the glorious North Worcestershire countryside, you will feel refreshed and armed with your newfound knowledge to give you a better and stronger fruit crop in the future.

A tour of our orchards and hot drinks are included.

We will also give you an understanding of our pruning strategy and how we are to progress the position over the next few years. This will allow you to understand the options available to you, and to develop your own position.

Drone Pictures of Fruitfields, Birmingham & North Worcestershire!

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We are so excited to be able to share with you some drone pictures taken by Leanne Gwilliam. They bring Fruitfields, our beautiful orchards and surrounds to life. If you look closely with this bird’s eye view, you can see the Lickey Hills to the west and Birmingham to the north, as well as our local reservoirs and surrounding countryside.

We were impressed by the quality of the photographs and the stability of the drone in the air. We were expecting there to be camera shake and for blurred images to be produced. You’ll see we were extremely lucky with the still, dry, clear conditions producing visibility of over 20 miles. It’s also a moment in time with the Canal & River Trust access track being visible across to Upper Bittell Reservoir, which has only been drained twice in its ninety year history. This time it is to allow repairs to the valve at the bottom of the dam wall.

Aerial view of our orchard

Aerial view of our orchard

Aerial view of our orchard

Aerial view of our orchard and Bittel reservoir (drained)

Aerial view of our orchard and Bittel reservoir (drained)

Aerial view of our orchard