A few years ago one of our members stared some mistletoe on some of our apple trees. The mistletoe has grown and is a very seasonal addition to the orchard. We now pick and sell the mistletoe in the village green grocers, Lanchester Country Basket. Why not have a wander up to the orchard to see the mistletoe on the trees, especially in the snow!
The strawberry and rhubarb beds have not been so productive over the last few seasons so we decided to relocate them to different parts of the Orchard. Members moved 15 rhubarb plants to their new home beside the main square whilst others cleared out the old strawberry bed. A new strawberry bed has been planted in the triangular fruit bed at the top of the orchard.
Hopefully we can look forward to bumper crops once the new plants are established.
On the 18th October an Orchard member spotted some very confused apple trees producing blossom. Perhaps a reflection of the erratic weather we have been experiencing this year!
At 8.30 pm all around the world on the 25th March, people switched off their lights for an hour to highlight the issues of climate change. Despite the very wet day, the rain stopped just in time for us to celebrate Earth Hour in the orchard. Well done to everyone who braved the weather to attend and to all our members who celebrated Earth Hour at home. Same time next year!
If you’re going for a walk around the orchard in the next few weeks watch out for the snowdrops and other early Spring flowers.
Our annual display of colourful catkins can be seen in our nut grove. It’s a joy to see the orchard waking up after the long winter and well worth a wander around the orchard to see them!
We have to prune our apple trees twice a year to maintain the health of the trees and encourage crops and growth. This time we were under the expert eye of one of our members, who lead a masterclass in pruning techniques for our other members. Despite the hard efforts there is still plenty of pruning left to do if you want to help at our next work session.
Lanchester Community Orchard 