Tuesday 21st February 10.00am – 1.00pm
Learn to prune fruit trees of all ages. Hands-on training that demystifies those gardening book diagrams! Create shapely, healthy, productive trees. Includes refreshments and hot drinks in cosy yurt.
Maximum of 12 people on the course. All tools provided, but bring your own if you prefer.
£40.00
Details at http://dayscottage.co.uk/
To book please contact applejuice@dayscottage.co.uk or 01452 813602
(Being broadcast mid or late September 2022)
At the end of August Tim Andrews, Trustee of GOT and cider producer, was filmed for BBC Gardeners World at Pocketts Orchard, Whitminster. He was questioned about his work and passion in restoring traditional orchards near where in lives in the south of the county. Tim exchanges the fruit from these orchards for pruning, replanting and guards to keep these orchards alive.
He helps lead orchard restoration at Pocketts Orchard, Whitminster with the Cotswold Canals Connected project and the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, and is about to start a new project with the Ernest Cook Trust and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) Gloucestershire in orchards at Halmore.
Contact Tim at tim@orchardrevivial.org.uk if you would like to get involved in any of the orchard restoration.
Look out for the interview on Gardeners’ World in mid-September.
Tim did flag up all the relevant organizations, including GOT, but of course only about 5 minutes is used from several hours of filming!
A picture from Martin Hayes’ recent pruning workshop at Rockness Community Orchard:
Martin Hayes has sent a few pictures of some of the Apperley Centre students trying out pruning using new ladders at Longney,
20th March 2022, 10am -2pm
At Hazelton Little Orchard.
Meet in Hazelton village Hall, GL54 4DX to walk to the orchard
For further information contact Martin Hayes via martin@glosorchards.org or on 07900985679
Supported by Farming in Protected Landscapes funding.
Tim Andrews is always busy. A dad of two, teacher, GOT committee member and owner of Orchard Revival Cider, it is not hard to fill every spare minute. Below is his summary of orchard activities so far this winter!
Pocketts Orchard, WhitminsterWe have continued to work with Cotswold Canals Connected to look after and restore the traditional orchard at Whitminster next to the canal. A particular highlight was the talk given by Jonathan Briggs, a previous GOT chair, about mistletoe. Nearly all the old trees have their yearly prune and we have cleared quite a bit of excess brambles. We await the results of the DNA testing that took place in the autumn and we hope to do some more grafting at the start of March. There is a lot planned in the summer such as fencing and building a field shelter which should allow us to control the grazing better. Work parties are held on the 2nd Saturday of every month. Please contact Peter Savage peter.savage@gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk if you’d like to join us.
Tree plantingWe managed to squeeze in some more tree planting on our own land this winter. Another 24 takes us to 358 trees and 131 varieties all on full standard root stocks. Being well watered in the first year of planting we have only lost 1 tree! However, there was little growth due to the dry summer we had last year and also because I hadn’t mulched enough. There is never enough time to do it all! We have also led the creation of a new community orchard at the Ionian, a wood fired pizza restaurant on the A38 near Berkeley. We donated the trees, led the planting session and the Ionian is providing the land and paying for the guards. The pizza, cake and coffee provided certainly energised the volunteers.
PruningOnly a couple of orchards beyond Pocketts orchard managed to get pruned this year. These were a lovely old cider orchard in Halmore and a small orchard in North Nibley. I would have liked to have done more, but my teaching job gets in the way!
Bird boxesThe best bit about being a teacher is the children. This year a group of students in my year group were really keen to do something to improve the environment at my school Katharine Lady Berkeley’s School. So we held a raffle and have raised enough money to buy the materials for 4 blue tit nesting boxes, 1 kestrel box, 14 swift boxes and a sound system to attract the swifts. The students’ next job is constructing the boxes and erecting them on the school site. I am also working with a bird expert in our village, Peter Kirmond. We are hoping to turn North Nibley into a swift hub by erecting lots of swift nesting boxes. For each bottle or pint of our Save Our Swift cider we donate 20p towards the cause.
GraftingWe are also running a number of grafting workshops thanks to a Farming in Protected Landscapes grant. Martin Hayes and David Lindgren, our joint GOT chairs, will be on hand to help to. We’ll be at North Nibley on 1st March, Avening on 8th March and Hazleton on the 14th March. Email Martin if you are interested in attending martin@glosorchards.org.
Tim Andrews https://orchardrevival.co.uk/
The Ionian Farmshop and Kitchen on the A38 near Berkeley have a tree planting event on 19th February to design and make your community orchard. With our own Tim Andrews to show them how.
They say:
“Give back and volunteer at The Ionian as we embark on our ambition to design and make your community orchard! Aiming to provide vital green space where you can interact with nature have space to learn skills such as planting, pruning and grafting. We can all do our bit in the battle against climate change, help wildlife and our own well being!
We’ll be collaborating with the amazing Tim Andrews who will share his knowledge with us on reviving traditional orchards. We need as many volunteers as possible for this project, any help will very much appreciated. To get involved, please email theionian.a38@gmail.com. We are so proud to attract and make people from all walks of life and every background feel welcome at The Ionian, we encourage you to roll up your sleeves, lets work together on creating a sustainable future! ”
Days
Cottage are running two pruning courses in February:
– Sunday 6th February 10.00am – 1.00pm
– Thursday 10th February 10.00am – 1.00pm
Booking essential.
Learn to prune fruit trees of all ages. Hands-on training that demystifies those gardening book diagrams!
Create shapely, productive trees.
Cost £35.00
To book please contact applejuice@dayscottage.co.uk or 01452 813602
More info at http://dayscottage.co.uk/courses
GOT’s own Martin Hayes featured on BBC Radio Gloucestershire last Sunday, 23rd January.
He talked to Kate Clark about rootstocks, pruning, planting, workshops (and the benefits of joining GOT!)
You can listen again on BBC Sounds at https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0bgbd55.
Timing are: 1:10 to 1:20 and then 1:23 to1:34
Update: Sorry, 14th March workshop is now fully booked and 7th March workshop has been cancelled.
Martin Hayes is leading a series of informal pruning workshops at GOT’s lovely Longney Orchard (south of Gloucester by the River Severn).
These are for GOT members only. Cost will be £10 per head.
Please book one session (booking essential) through Ann Smith ann@smithcovell.co.uk who can advise on payment methods. You can also pay via this PayPal button:
If you pay by PayPal please also email Ann with details of which session you’re booking.
Dates: Mondays 14 February, 7 March, 14 March. Noon-3pm
Martin will go through Health and Safety and we would need everyone to sign in with an emergency contact phone number please. Bring own tools, gloves and boots. Martin is very knowledgeable and there’s always something to learn and share. Stone fruit will not be pruned – only May to September on dry days for plums and cherries to reduce the chance of silver leaf disease.
We look forward to seeing you! If you are not a member and would like to attend, please join GOT at https://glosorchards.org/home/join-us-got-membership/
If you are a community orchard group you get a year’s free membership. Please enquire via Ann.
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