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

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!

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

 

Canal & River Trust works to the Upper Bittell Reservoir

It’s only the second time in its history that the Upper Bittell Reservoir has been drained. This is so the bottom sluice and channel can be repaired. To be able to make the necessary repairs, an access track for HGVs has been created across the top of our fields. The works should be completed by May, 2018 and whilst the area will become a ‘site’ and closed to the public from Monday, 27th November we will have full access for the Barnt Green Wassail at our orchards on Wednesday, December 27th, 2017.

Why we put mouse excluders on our bee hives!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When carrying out our recent winter preparation for the beehives we had a little surprise hiding in the two polynucs. On opening them up, we discovered two mice families.Each mouse family was very warm and cosy and had decided which corner of the nucleus box they were going to the toilet in! Can you see our cheeky friends in the pictures?!

First pressing of the season!

2017 is looking like a bumper crop so far – our first real crop of apples coming from Worcester Pearmain, Redditch Doddin and Red Devil.  A few trial bottles pressed so far from windfalls and they taste great.Apple juice

 

Elderflower Cordial

The end of May saw the hedges surrounding our orchard laden with frothy white elderflower blossoms which we picked and made into elderflower cordial – delicious with sparkling water or prosecco for a refreshing drink on a hot day…
bring on the summer!
Elderflower

Soft Fruit

Having remembered to net the fruit this year we were rewarded with a good crop of soft fruit – blackcurrants, redcurrants, raspberries, strawberries and gooseberries all picked so far this year.  Most of it made it to the freezer for jam making later on.Soft fruit

Honey extracting

Barnt Green Honey

2017 has been a good year for the bees – we have 2 strong colonies at the moment and have extracted over 40lbs from the first hive.  Enough for our supplies for the year and a few jars for sale.