Months of preparation for a new community orchard culminated on Saturday 15th December with participants, expertly schooled by the Orchard Project, planting trees and fruit bushes. After digging suitable holes, tree roots were dipped into a mycorrhizal application of beneficial fungi. This is designed to colonise the roots and create an early mycelial network within the soil, increasing nutrient and water uptake. The trees were surrounded in protective cages and three fruit bushes - a gooseberry, red currant, white currant or a black currant - were planted around the base.
Amongst the trees planted were: a cider apple (Tremlex bitter), apples (Newton Wonder & Cor Blimey), cherry (Merton Glory & Lapins), a fig and a medlar (Nottingham); a self fertile tree, the fruit of which should be harvested during October. Pomegranate is becoming more popular in our changing climate and we were able to plant one of these too! Ours was covered with a sheet to protect from the frost during the next few months. It isn't entirely frost hardy, but once established will regrow from its strong root system."
The above is an exert of the brilliant blog written by Alison Fure. You can read the full article, including some of the fascinating history of certain fruit plants at: http://alisonfure.blogspot.com/2018/12/green-lane-community-orchard-planting.html
We are so grateful for the 20+ volunteers that braved the very cold and wet conditions to join us and Lewis from The Orchard Project to plant this new community orchard; we had residents from both New Malden and Berrylands, as well as further afield, some of the local scouts & cubs from 7th New Malden Scout Group, local Berrylands Councillor John Sweeney as well as other keen regular volunteers from Friends of Berrylands Nature Reserve.
If you want to get involved, find out more about this community orchard or volunteer for other conservation events then contact us via email (berrylandsnr@gmail.com) or via our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages.
Thanks again to the wonderful Alison Fure for leading the whole process for this new orchard and for allowing us to share her blog article.
