We’ve been out and about with the community apple press to venues in Portreath, Redruth and Camborne, harvesting local apples and inviting local people to come and help. It’s be a fantastic month for apples and apple juice making and we’re really thrilled to see everyone else as excited as us about the community traditionContinue reading “Apple pressing bonanza!”
Author Archives: mlawson
Wild apples Cornwall
Those of you who follow the online journal: Apples and People, may have read a recent article about the magnificent project ‘Some Interesting Apples’ that William Arnold and James Fergusson have been conducting the past few years. It’s fantastic to hear about them researching the wild apple trees that surround us, focusing mainly on theContinue reading “Wild apples Cornwall”
Grafting Workshops March 2022
RedruthLocation: Food Troops Community Kitchen & Garden at Victoria Park, Redruth (the horticultural greenhouses behind the bowling green) Monday 14th March 10am-1200 Follow link to book, or contact us to pay by cash on the dayMake your own apple trees: Bench Grafting Tickets, Mon 14 Mar 2022 at 10:00 | Eventbrite Learn the traditional skillContinue reading “Grafting Workshops March 2022”
Update Feb 2022
This post provides an update of our activities in the most recent period. This is our very first update.
‘Own root’ apple trees
It’s hard to see from this photo, but this is a multi stemmed apple tree which orignally fell some time ago – fallen apple trees being a common sight in Cornwall. It has regrown from where it fell at several points, creating it’s own new root systems completely disregarding the original rootstock it had previouslyContinue reading “‘Own root’ apple trees”
Pruning at Tehidy Community Orchard – with cows!
Fantastic to join the regular Tehidy park/ Cormac volunteers this week in the orchard for weeding, mulching and pruning. At one point a cow decided to run in and join us in the orchard having escaped from it’s field but lost it’s herd – making for a bit of excitement! Unfortunately I wasn’t quick enoughContinue reading “Pruning at Tehidy Community Orchard – with cows!”
Winter Pruning Workshop
If you’d like to learn more about pruning apple trees in the winter we are working with Kehellend Horticultural Trust to offer a workshop on 12th February 2022. Please see their site for more information and to book a place. https://kehellandtrust.org.uk/community-orchard-pruning-maintenance-workshop/
Apple Canker in your orchard: Identifying and dealing with this fungus
Apple trees can live with canker and carry on as living, producing trees, remaining good for biodiversity, wildlife and fruit. It just takes a bit of monitoring and annual pruning to keep it in check. This week I’ve been pruning a ten year-ish old apple tree that has quite a significant problem with canker. ThereContinue reading “Apple Canker in your orchard: Identifying and dealing with this fungus”
Bladder campion in the orchard
An easy support plant for your orchard could be bladder campion. What a yummy, easy to grow plant with wonderful flowers for insects too. Silene vulgaris also known as Carletti, or Sculpit or Baldder Campion is a wild edible found in meadows apparently well loved and cultivated in Italy as a cooked green often usedContinue reading “Bladder campion in the orchard”
Growing hops in the orchard
Today I was really happy to find some hops growing wild along a stream near Holywell Bay, Cornwall. It was so abundant and full of life. It’s mid May now and will continue growing until the end of June to get to it’s maximum height before focusing on flowering (if a female plant). I mightContinue reading “Growing hops in the orchard”