Grafting Workshops at Days Cottage 2023
Learn the ancient skill of propagating fruit trees by inserting a scion of your chosen variety into a rootstock. Take your tree home at the end of the session.
Rootstocks and a range of heritage variety scions provided. Includes refreshments and homemade flapjacks in our cosy yurt. £45.00
To book please contact applejuice@dayscottage.co.uk or 01452 813602
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’.
Horfield Organic Community Orchard (HOCO) is celebrating 25 years as a community and fruit-growing project. Since 1998 hundreds of volunteer members have cared for nearly a hundred fruiting trees. HOCO is also raising an urban orchard for community education and horticultural experimentation. The Orchard Learning Programme, developed in 2018, is a hands-on and holistic adventure in community orcharding that guides participants over a growing season at HOCO.
The 9-month course (see dates summary below) is designed to deepen the knowledge and sharpen the skills of those involved in the close care of fruit trees. It is ideal for growers with previous fruit growing experience, and highly recommended for anyone starting up, or involved with, an orchard. Participants work with less-than-perfect trees and learn by doing.
Programme content and structure are always evolving – driven by climate chaos, and shaped by the experiences and needs of participants. The blend of group learning days and one-to-one sessions was a great success when introduced last year. All sessions take place outdoors in the example-rich Horfield Organic Community Orchard. They are led by Shannon Smith – an experienced community orchard grower and educator.
Successful applicants are partnered with a fruit tree – their Tree Buddy – for the year. They join with other HOCO members to help organise orchard working meetings and community events.
Places are limited. Deadline for applications is Sunday 29 January 2023.
More information on the HOCO website: www.community-orchard.org.uk
Wotton area Climate Action Network present a free talk on Orchards by renowned local expert Martin Hayes, on Tuesday 7th February at 7.30pm.
At the Chipping Hall, Wotton under Edge, GL12 7AD
Bar available
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
Learn how to propagate apple and pear fruit trees by budding, in a practical workshop.
These skills are useful to anyone who wishes to propagate fruit and ornamental trees in their garden or allotment. We discuss the technical theory behind budding to propagate onto a variety of rootstocks and also go through the practical elements step by step, led by GOT’s committee member and Orchard Revival’s Tim Andrews.
Tuesday 12 July 2022 evening – North Nibley chapel
Saturday 13 August 2022 morning – with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust at Fromebridge at Pocketts Orchard.
These are run by Tim Andrews in association with Farming in Protected Landscapes/Orchard Revival/GOT.
For these workshops, please book via Tim: tim@orchardrevival.co.uk
Learn how to propagate apple and pear fruit trees by budding, in a practical workshop.
These skills are useful to anyone who wishes to propagate fruit and ornamental trees in their garden or allotment. We discuss the technical theory behind budding to propagate onto a variety of rootstocks and also go through the practical elements step by step.10am-1pm at the barn, led by GOT’s committee member and Orchard Revival’s Tim Andrews.
Participants will be able to take home their own grafted tree.
Cost £30 (funds will help support Longney Orchard and the charity of GOT).
To book (essential), please contact Ann Smith: ann@smithcovell.co.uk who will advise on payment methods (please pay in advance), directions/parking etc.
You can also pay via this PayPal button:
If you pay by PayPal please also email Ann with your details.
For GOT members only. To join, please click here.
Stuart Smith spotted this beautiful blossom in Bollow Orchard at Longney while preparing for the arrival of the red mason bee cocoons at the end of March.
This particular tree is a unique perry pear, meaning that its DNA fingerprint does not match any other perry pear in the National Collection at Hartpury.
Jim Chapman says this suggests that just the seedling rootstock remains and the grafted perry variety has died – but at least it makes a lovely show!
Days
Cottage are running two grafting courses in March:
– Sunday 6th March 10.00am – 1.00pm
– Thursday 17th March 10.00am – 1.00pm
Learn the skill of propagating fruit trees by inserting a scion of your chosen variety into a rootstock.
Take your tree home at the end of the session.
Booking essential.
Cost £40.00
To book please contact applejuice@dayscottage.co.uk or 01452 813602
More info at http://dayscottage.co.uk/courses
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