From 10am both days. We’ll be hiring a wood chipper to help clear the pruned wood, which will enable the sward to be mown prior to the harvest. Many hands make light work!
If you have a strimmer then please bring that along as well, as there is plenty to clear!
from 10:00
Marjorie’s Seedling plums should still be available for picking in September.
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.
Mistletoe gathering day – details to follow
Saturday 13th January, from 10:00 Pruning workshop at Longney
Saturday 10th February, from 10:00 Pruning workshop at Longney
Saturday 9th March, from 10:00 Pruning workshop at Hartpury
Saturday 13th April: Location and activity to be confirmed
Saturday 11th May: Location and activity to be confirmed
Saturday 6th June; Location and activity to be confirmed
We levy a small fee of £5 for the pruning workshops from our supporters; the sessions are also open to the general public for a fee of £25.
If you’d like to sign up to a pruning workshop then please email martin.hayes@glosorchards.org and treasurer@glosorchards.org
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
Our volunteering day at Longney, Monday 8th May
As part of our informal get-together on 8th May, we’re teaming up with CPRE to help with their recently launched Hedgerow Hero project. Hedges are the country’s largest nature reserve and we’re going to assess the health of the hedges in and around our orchards at Longney and submit our findings to their national database. It’s all part of The Big Help Out
First orchard is Long Tyning (long and thin) then Bollow. Also on site are Middle & Lower Orchards which have been planted up with heritage apple and plum trees of regional/national importance.
We look forward to seeing you! Any queries to David Lingren david@cotswoldfruit.co.uk
There is a barn (with interpretation signage), chairs, composting loo and running cold water. Re health and safety, there is a first aid kit in the store in the barn. The ground is uneven, there are some brambles and low hanging branches. The river Severn is fenced off.
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.
GOT orchardist Martin Hayes is running a series of workshops at GOT’s lovely Longney Orchard, south of Gloucester.
Date will be (many not yet confirmed):
The first of our planned monthly workshops at Longney Orchard took place on 18th January.
A small team of energetic (and young) people pruned about 8 to 10 trees at the far end of the Long Tyning part of the orchard.
The prunings have been gathered into piles, but some limbs are rather big for manhandling so there are several piles of wood.
These will be tackled and sorted, and tidying up pruned wood at a later date.
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