from 10:00
Apples picked in October will contribute to the Trust’s coffers, as the fruit will be sold to Trust Juice … and you’ll also receive some free apple juice in return.
If the access track is still navigable in November then there may also be a fruit harvesting day on Saturday 18th November.
The DNA analysis project run via FruitID is now in its 8th year. This year the scheme offers DNA analysis at £32.50 plus VAT per sample for Apples, Pears, and Cherries.
If you would like to participate, please go to www.fruitID.com/#help where you can find the Announcement and Timetable, a Request Form to ask for sample bags, detailed collection guidance, results from previous years, and an Introduction to DNA Fingerprinting.
Also at the FruitID website Muriel Smith’s National Apple Register for the UK is now available as a digital download.
To find it, go to www.fruitID.com/#help then click on ‘Pomonas’ from the list on the left and look for the 1971 entry. Thanks to the People’s Trust for Endangered Species for funding the digitisation of this great resource.
Blossom Day at Days Cottage
Sunday April 23rd 1.00 – 4.00 – details coming soon at dayscottage.co.uk
Hartpury Orchard Centre Blossom Day
Sunday 23 April 2023 12 noon-5pm Blossom day, enjoy a picnic in the orchard. Bar will be open. https://www.hartpuryheritage.org.uk/events/blossom-day-event/
Big Apple Blossom time
Sunday 30 April and Monday 1 May 2023 at Much Marcle. https://www.bigapple.org.uk/blossomtime-putley/
Other Blossom opportunities
GOT’s Longney Orchard by the River Severn is pretty when the plum, pear and apple blossom is out. See access information here: https://glosorchards.org/home/got-orchards/
Local community orchard groups such as Horfield Organic Community Orchard (Bristol) and Wolds End Orchard (Chipping Campden) often hold a lovely blossom event. Check their websites soon!
The Vale of Evesham has a blossom trail. https://www.visitevesham.co.uk/about-vale/blossom-trail/
Orchard Network Blossom Day Resources
News sent in by Stuart Smith:
Newly planted in the apple collection at Longney are two Upright French, propagated for us by John Teiser from Bulmer’s Adam’s Hill Orchard. These are grafted onto crab stock, whereas most of the apples are M25.
Another difference which you can see in one of the photos is that the guards are scaled down from the original design – the posts are about 1.35m, the sides about 84cm.
The trees are planted in ground that has not had trees before so there is no risk of replant disease, but because space is limited it might be necessary to plant a replacement in the same position.
John told me that there are rootstocks that have been shown to overcome the inhibitory effect – such as the Geneva® (G) range.
This is a video filmed in GOT’s orchards at Longney: This is the summary from the CPRE page:
An interview with Tim Andrews, County Director of CPRE Gloucestershire, and Martin Hayes. Martin is an expert orchardist and key member of the Gloucestershire Orchard Trust. The interview explores why orchards are special to Martin and Gloucestershire, and the work Martin does to reverse their decline. Around 75% of orchards have been lost in Gloucestershire in the last 50 years.
The interview was filmed in Longney, near Gloucester at an orchard owned by the Gloucestershire Orchard Trust. CPRE Gloucestershire is presently helping to restore around 10 acres of orchard at near Slimbridge in Gloucestershire.
Tim Andrews directed, filmed and edited the video – it was his first try at doing this. And it is rather good, though Tim says ‘improvements are planned for next time’.
Ann Smith writes:
Today we planted more Gloucestershire plum trees at GOT’s Longney Orchard and replaced one or two apple trees. The soil is good quality and drains well.
Sheep continue to graze the orchards. The flocks of fieldfares and redwings were enjoying the fallen apples.
A tattered red admiral butterfly warmed itself on the barn brickwork in full sun on this mild November day. It was rather tattered, weary from a long year chased by birds or perhaps it was tipsy from the fermented fruit! Will it survive the winter? They are known to enter a dormant state and the barn would certainly provide shelter.
The red admiral picture (right) and the fieldfare pictures below were taken by John Fletcher, who is a regular birdwatcher at Longney.
The BBC news website featured traditional orchards last week, timed to coincide with Apple Day.
It highlighted the work being carried out to conserve orchards, and traditional varieties, locally and regionally in Somerset and Gloucestershire The article also highlighted the work of PTES and the Orchard Network nationally.
For Gloucestershire both GOT and the Wildlife Trust were mentioned, discussing local sites and the work being done to find and conserve local varieties.
For the full article click here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-63298873
Have you been to an Apple Day this season yet? Many of our local events have happened already (click on our Past events tab to see these), but some are still to come.
National Apple Day was launched in 1990 by Common Ground. Their aspiration was to create a calendar custom, an autumn holiday. From the start, Apple Day was intended to be both a celebration and a demonstration of the variety we are in danger of losing, not simply in apples, but in the richness and diversity of landscape, ecology and culture too. It has also played a part in raising awareness in the provenance and traceability of food.
The concept was initially set as 21st October but, in practice, the date is variable depending on which area you’re in and what orchard group is doing what.
It has become incredibly successful over the 30 years since – with events taking place all over the country organised by local orchard and apple groups, across a range of dates throughout October.
For information on Apple Day events around the country visit https://ptes.org/campaigns/traditional-orchard-project/orchard-network/apple-day/
Winterbourne Barn’s annual grafting workshop will take place on Saturday 18th February 2023 from 10am to 4pm.
Come and learn how to graft apple trees on this course under the tuition of Ben Raskin, a previous commercial fruit grower and an enthusiastic, effective and very knowledgeable teacher, now Head of Horticulture at The Soil Association.
Visit www.winterbournebarn.org.uk/
Or, to see booking information, go to https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/winterbourne-medieval-barn-trust/t-avvoeav
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