Trumpington Community Orchard

Wassail Went Well!

2011-01-20T13:55:00.003Z

It went more than well - it was amazing! We had, at a very rough head count, over 50 people (including lots of children) in the Village Hall for the lantern making workshop, and about double that number at the Wassail celebration itself.

We learned a lot about lanterns (you'll have to excuse the alliteration, folks, I am on a poetry writing course and it's getting to me!) and we also learned that glittery little stars look beautiful and get absolutely everywhere - we had a lot of sweeping up to do. I also realised that I am not cut out for a career as a pyrotechnician; I was lightng tealights to glow out from paper bags, one by each apple tree - I managed to set light to the bag four times.

I am sure that everyone who turned up enjoyed it; everywhere I looked in the dusk I could see smiling faces and hear hearty singing of the Cambridge Wassail song. It was like going back in time, or at least reaching out from the present to the past, awaking an old folk memory.

Christmas tidings and new year

2010-12-21T13:50:00.002Z

Well, as I sit and write this my garden looks more like Lapland than East Anglia, but I know that under all that snow the apple trees in my garden, and those in the Orchard, are already thinking about spring.

So in order to get them off to a good start, we shall be thinking of their spiritual welfare, as well as their physical nourishment - and give them a Wassail, a blessing, specially for trees.

Our Orchard Wassail has grown in numbers of attendees and enthusiasm each year, as the trees themselves grow taller; even deep snow last year did not stop us. What the weather will bring this year, who can say, but we will be there!

We have added even more drama to the event - we are going to hold it at dusk, and start off with a lantern procession. I am so excited about this, our first event of 2011.

Sunday 9 January 2011 Lantern Making Workshop and Wassail

11am - 12:30pm in the Village Hall, Trumpington. Come along and build your own lantern from tissue paper and willow. Decorate it how you like, and you can use it later in the day.
£3 per family, all materials included.

4pm - bring your lovely lantern, or any other light that you have, and join our procession from the Allotment shed to the Community Orchard. On site there will be musicians, singing, dancing (to keep out the cold) and hot spiced apple juice. We will toast the trees and wish them, and us, all good fortune for 2011. Admission to the Wassail is free, donations appreciated. Just turn up and join in.

I do hope you can come along it's going to be spectacular.

Apple Days 2010

2010-10-07T16:29:00.002+01:00

It's been quiet on this blog, but, like a beehive, all the work has been going on inside where it can't be seen.

We've shut up the observation beehive for the winter, and decided to hold the opening ceremony in the spring instead. So much nicer for the humans and the bees.

I note that Henry in Gloucestershire has written a wonderful article on the fragility of orchards - find it at http://www.scribd.com/doc/36252878/Final-Version and do have a look at his blog (see the menu on the right) Henry I don't know how you find the time, but keep it up!

Meanwhile, we have been planning a rather special talk:
Friday 15th October
in the Trumpington Pavilion on Byron Square/Foster Road
7:30pm - doors open from 7pm
Tickets £2 on the door

Gavin Maclennan from the Brogdale Fruit Collection is giving a talk on Cambridgeshire apples and orchards. He will bring examples of local varieties, so that we can see what our trees should be producing when they are fully grown.

I hope to see lots of apple fans at this event - please support us!

Adopt a bee for 20p

2010-07-31T18:45:00.003+01:00

That's our current campaign. We are raising funds for the upkeep and maintenance of our new observation hive.

Dave, our resident beekeeper, has written this to explain what is going on in the hive at the moment:

"The observation hive contains three frames. Two of these were introduced to the hive with both brood, larvae and eggs on them. One is a standard brood frame, the other is a super frame of the type normally used to store honey in. Within three days the bees should have turned one or more of the cells the larvae are in into queen cells in order to raise a queen. Following the egg hatching within five and a half days the cell will be capped with wax. After another eight days the queen will emerge. She reaches maturity after a further sixteen days following which she will go on her mating flight. If the weather is bad this may be delayed. The queen will then commence laying eggs herself.Because the colony has been established late in the season it may not be strong enough to survive the winter.

The hive will be opened on maintenance days, when the weather is warm and a beekeeper is in attendance. We are also planning an 'official opening' of the hive on Sunday 12 September at 11am.

In the meantime, if you want to adopt a bee, or several, we can accept cash at our maintenance sessions or events, or cheques through the post. I am looking at electronic methods, but as we don't have a Charity nunber most of these won't work for us. All ideas welcomed!

Bugs, bird houses and bees

2010-06-28T13:28:00.003+01:00

I know, this site has been very quiet, but please don't think that we have been dozing in the orchard while Spring turned, reluctantly, into Summer. We've been holding events, running stalls, and on the orchard itself we've been installing an observation beehive. This is one of those tall thin hives with glass sides, so that we can show the inner workings of the hive to interested groups.

We've been out campaigning about the importance of bees, especially to orchards. We had a stall at the Cambridge Environment Festival on Lammas Land - it was a well-attended day, and a good opportunity to meet other green groups, as well as members of the public.

Then we organised a bug hunt for 19 June - but that was the weekend it was really, really cold, and not suprisingly the bugs and most of the visitors stayed at home. The Mayor of Cambridge, Councillor Sheila Stuart, came along, and met the visitors we did have, so thanks to her for including us in her busy schedule.

I wasn't at the bug hunt myself - I was at the Swavesey Village Fete, giving demonstrations on how to make bird houses from carrier bags. I was in a marquee, so I escaped the rain, but I was just as cold

Nest weekend, Saturday 3 July, we shall be at the Fawcett School Fete (12pm - 4pm) with our stall, plus a game to play and a chance to 'adpot a bee for 20p' so come and see us and join in the fun.

What on Earth? for National Science Week

2010-03-12T15:45:00.003Z

It's National Science and Engineering Week from Friday 12th to 21st March. There are lots of events across the country, but if you can't get to any you can still take part. Just step into your garden - or your nearest community orchard - and photograph a minibeast (an insect, bug or worm), a funghi or even a bird. If you can't identify it, there are experts on the What on Earth site who will do that for you, once you've shared your photo on the gallery. Their site says:

What on Earth is a call-to-action to identify as many plants and animals as possible in UK parks, gardens and hedgerows. Go outside and reconnect with all the weird and wonderful flora and fauna that inhabit our small but diverse land.
Upload a photo of anything you dont recognise and in return we'll try our best to identify it and send you a free packet of seeds* designed to encourage more creatures to inhabit your local space *(subject to availability), in addition to a Biodiversity Information and Activity Pack. Whether its plant identification, bird identification, animal identification or funghi identification - we'll do our best to find out what on earth it is!

We are going to hold a minibeast hunt as part of Cambridge Environment Week in June so why not compare what you find next week with what you find then? Don't forget to record where and when you took the picture, and what the weather was like.

Merci Beaucoup, Raymond

2010-03-02T08:43:00.002Z

Raymond Blanc's programme on BBC2 last night (Monday 1 March ) was all about apples. In between some lovely, and some not so lovely recipes (salmon poached in oil, served with apples soaked in oil? erm non, merci...), was a succinct demonstration of the art of grafting, given by William Sibley. Raymond learned how to graft a Jonagold onto a Bramley, in an effort to increase pollination of the Bramley.

Raymond and William also tasted their way systematically through many different varieties - although sadly there was no information given on each, or even the names of most of them, and there are no further details on the website. However the programme did draw attention to the huge variation in texture, taste and acidity within apples, and noted that some may be better stewed than raw, or baked rather than stewed. I have a Kentish Fillbasket tree at home, and as soon as it's apple time again I shall be making those apple souffles, but they will come out about 3 times the size of Raymond's dainty desserts.

You can watch the programme on the BBC site for the next month.

Raymond writes further about all the suppliers for Le Manoir in this Guardian article

Sadly I can't find any further information about William - perhaps he would like to get in touch? I would love to learn more from his expertise.

Hurry up Spring

2010-02-28T16:26:00.003Z

On Valtentine's Day we had a good turnout of volunteers, and got some tidying done. So here are some photos. Signs of spring - well, I did find a few snowdrops. Now we've bought some more that will be planted 'in the green' - that is, when they have finished flowering, but have all their leaves and are still growing. Snowdrops don't do so well when they are planted as dry bulbs.

If you've been walking around the allotments and orchard, you will have noticed the work on the guided busway. We are very concerned that the contractors do not damange the hedgerow - keeping them in order on this has been tricky, but rest assured that we are doing our very best to make sure that agreements are honoured, and disturbance of the wildlife reduced.

Thank you, Waitrose shoppers!

2010-02-22T12:51:00.002Z

Waitrose runs a Community Matters initiative, where £1,000 each month is divided between three local charities (or branches of charities) according to how the shoppers vote with their green tokens. This January, the Trumpington Community Orchard Project was lucky enough to be chosen, and we have received £270. This brilliant contribution will allow us to go ahead with our plans to put in an observation bee hive on the site.

And while on the subject of thanks - we had a really good turn out of volunteers on Sunday 14 February, and got a lot of tidying up done. Thanks so much for all your help. We also prepared a planting hole for a Bramley apple tree - mid February was Bramley apple week. We are waiting to get a tree cloned from the original Bramley itself. If we can find the hole we dug under all this snow, that is.

Sensational Screen Printing

2010-02-08T14:54:00.002Z

Sunday 28 February from 11am - 1pm, in the Trumpington Pavilion
Our first event of 2010 and it will be a real treat!
Come along to the Pavilion for a drop-in session with textile artist and screen printer, Ricki Outis. You can help to decorate a fabulous screen printed banner for the orchard project, and also print on a T shirt.

Adults and accompanied children very welcome. No experience or special artistic talent required.

If you want to print a T shirt, please bring one with you - it must be a plain, pale colour and 100% cotton, pre-washed.

Also in February - our Monthly Maintenance session falls on Valentine's Day. Bring your loved one and enjoy a happy hour or two (session runs from 11am - 1pm) working in harmony in the fesh air. What could be more romantic?
On the other hand, if your shelf is rather light on cards, if the bouquets of flowers failed to turn up, then come down to the orchard and take it out on the weeds. We can find something for you to pull up, chop up and rip into little tiny pieces...

Wassail, Wassail!

2010-01-07T14:37:00.003Z

Let every man take off his hat
And shout out to th'old apple tree
Old apple tree we wassail thee
And hoping thou will bear

This Sunday 10 January 2010 at 12pm we are upholding the tradition of 'Wassailling' the oldest apple tree in the Orchard.

You are very welcome to join us and partake of this ancient rite. Music, sound and colourful constumes will be provided by the Northstow Mummers, complete with Hobby Horse.

What, you may well ask, is Wassailling all about?

Well, it's a custom with its roots in the Old Norse and Old English cry of 'Was Hail', and the response 'Drinc Hail' that started off any feast and long dark night of drinking. Robert Doares has a very good article on the origins of the Wassail Cup. Somewhere along the way, in the very Dark Ages, apple trees (along with livestock and anything else productive) began to be included in the toasting and general celebrations, with the general idea that if an apple tree was made happy, it would bear lots of fruit. It has to be worth a try... And perhaps we will Wassail the nearby chickens while we are about it.

Wassail update:
We made a brave go at Wassailing this year. Due to the snow, the musicians were reduced in number to one accordion player, but he led us a merry dance around the orchard like the Pied Piper, weaving around the trees. We toasted the big old apple tree, and all the little ones, and we are hoping that a combination of the old traditions and some good organic gardening techniques will give us healthy trees this harvest.

Apple Days are here again

2009-10-26T14:41:00.003Z

We've had a busy month, harvesting ideas and connections, if not yet our own apples. Apple Days in the region began with Wandlebury Country Park, on 3 October. As we are such a small group we cound't muster enough people to run a stand, so I went along as an observer, and to get an indentifcation of some apples from old trees local to me. This was a friendly, low-key event, but unfortuntely the weather wasn't good, and I don't think the event got the same high turnout as last year.
Locally popular varities much in evidence included Sunset. and the reliable (not local, originally Scottish) James Grieves.

Next Saturday we had a stand at the Burwash Manor Apple Day, and we shared a marquee with the East of England Apples and Orchards Project. I must look already like an apple officianado, as visitors walked confidently up to me, stuck out an apple and said 'what's this then'. Um - it's a small striped one, was often as far as I could get but having been perforce an apprentice apple identifier for a day I found I could tell my Sunsets from my Spartans. It was a lot of fun, and we met a lot of very interesting people, all with a passion for orchard fruits.

Back to the orchard, and we had a good session on Sunday 11 October, weeding out from around the bases of the trees. It was good to see some new volunteers there. We found lots of spiders had hunkered down for the winter in the rolled up apple leaves, and at home I have found ladybirds clustering together in the crevices of my wheelie bins. I am not sure if I should move them or not - they will only get a fornight's hibernation before being disturbed.

Next post will be devoted to creepy crawlies, otherwise known as evidence of biodiversity.

Sunny Apple Days

2009-09-22T19:36:00.002+01:00

Although it's warm outside, I have the feeling that autumn is hiding just around the corner. The Park and Ride car park near me has two quince trees, laden with fruit. All of those within easy reach have been picked by commuters...
At the last orchard maintenance day, we had a good turn out, and some impressive team work meant we got the whole of the new hedgerow trimmed back for the winter. It will grow in this warm spell, but it is full of robust species and won't be harmed when the soft growth eventually gets knocked back by the winter weather.

We are making plans for Apple Day. This is a national event, held in local ways, and of course it is one of the highspots of the orchard lovers' year. We are looking forward to the day when we have apples of our own to display.

Apple Farm Days

2009-09-05T20:49:00.003+01:00

Well,we've returned from our study trip to the Czech Republic, and I can't believe that we were only there for a week; we learned so much and shared so many experiences. Rudolf, Veronica, the students and all at the farm made us three old ladies from a community orchard in England feel so welcome. We tried to be helpful - we washed up, we made scones, we helped to weed the orchard, to make a raised flowerbed and to tend the herb garden. We worked hard in the forest - well, the rest of the group did - I wandered off and took yet more photos of trees -and we took part in the craft and arts activities that were laid on for the students. I taught some to make a fresh green willow basket and was, of course, eclipsed and outclassed by my pupils, which is right and proper.

Above all, we talked to Rudolf about all things apple and orchard related. At the Apple Farm he has climatalogical challenges that we simply have not thought about. Czech trees are grown on a rootstock that is almost 5ft high, in order to give the more delicate variety grafted on top the best chance to survive the harsh winters. Rudolf's trees are protected by wire mesh up and above that height - because, he explained, of the hares. he showed us obvious damage from teeth and front feet, and I was taken aback, imagining the looming forest to be full of 6ft high hares, possibly more dangerous than the local wild boar. Rudolf put my mind at rest - the hare was normal sized, but it had been standing on 4ft of snow.

Sitting out in the warm evenings, gazing at the stars and hearing nothing but the chirping of the grasshoppers, and the banter of the students around the campfire, we made plans for return visits, and for some sort of exchange between the Apple Farm and the Trumpington Community Orchard. Perhaps we can hold an Apple Day in the Czech Republic, or perhaps Czech students can visit our site to learn about our own challenges. We'll think of something.Either way, the community around our orchard has just got a bit wider.

You can see my photos from the trip via my flickr site - click on the icon top left to all my orchard related shots. I'll put more up from my colleagues soon.

Orchard opportunities

2009-07-07T20:13:00.003+01:00

One of the best things about starting a community orchard is that even when I am at home with only a laptop for company, I am connected to an amazing number of apple-y people around the world. Check out the links to the side of this blog- there are community orchards up and down the land, and around the world. My latest find - The Holistic Orchard Network has experts, commercial growers and gifted amateurs getting together to save and promote heritage varieties and the benefits of organic growing.

So, via my email, I learned a couple of months ago of a programme hosted by Grampus Heritage, funded by the EU, the Leonardo da Vinci project, that is set up to help the countries of the European Union learn from each other about their own vernacular crafts, rural skills and other arts that may be lost. It's the opposite of what you might think of the EU - this project is determinedly anti-homegenisation. But of course, I would have to be in favour, since I am happy to say that our Orchard Management Committee has been awarded three fully-funded places to go to visit an organic apple farm in the Czech Republic, in East Bohemia.

What can I say except - Yay! We will be staying on Rudolfs farm, learning about local methods of tending for trees and developing orchards, with a bit of bee keeping, basketry and herbalism thrown in. I can't wait.

Grand Prix Fruit

2009-05-26T20:36:00.003+01:00

It's Sunday 24 May, the temperature in Cambridge is the same as in Monaco, where the bold and the beautiful are watching the Grand Prix, and I am watching - apricots, growing away in an open orchard, in Bluntisham.
We've gone with the East of England Apples and Orchards project to have a tour of the venerable trees and the new introductions in Heath Farm, a family-run orchard that has trees dating back to 1918. The weather is fantastic, and some of us (well, me) are wishing we'd been optimistic enough to bring a hat. Mr Wallis chugs along the rows on his vintage tractor, and we trail after him, stopping off to admire Willingham gages, beautiful shiny red skinned pears, medlar trees and, of course, apple trees. These range in size from twigs grafted to old trunks, to huge overarching trees that will be laden down with fruit later in the year. Add in bee hives, a carpet of wild flowers, nature ponds teeming with damsel flies, and you have a picture perfect orchard.
There is something about an orchard, busy growing steadily away in the sunshine, that makes me want to sit on the turf beneath a large tree, lie back and relax. I could take root like Rip Van Winkle, or the Green Man himself, only rousing myself at harvest time. I think many of our party felt the same, talk was hushed, the walking pace was slow, as if we were in a green cathedral.

National Trust Orchard Campaign

2009-04-26T13:31:00.002+01:00

The National Trust has just announced a campaign to halt the loss of traditional orchards, to map the ones, often overgrown and abandoned, that survice, and to publicise the importance of heritage apple varities.

More details are available from the Trust's website

This is good news for traditional orchards, and will help to bring awareness to more people, but, although the National Trust is also turning over some of its land to allotments, there is little in the campaign to encourage people to grow the traditional apple varieties and start an orchard of their own. The Trust has been quoted as saying that five trees, even growing in pots on a patio, counts as an orchard. But this negates all their points about the biodiversity and the special status of the traditionally grown and managed orchard. Apple trees in patio pots are lovely, and you will certainly be helping out the pollinators in your neighbourhood, but they are not an orchard, with all of its attendant ecosystem.

Blossom time

2009-04-22T12:49:00.000+01:00

Spring is sprung. The leaves are out on all the trees, the cherry thicket is snowing blossom, and bumble bees, honey bees and bee flies are buzzing about all over.

A quick update - the talk went very well, we had an appreciative audience who asked us lots of interesting questions. We'd like to do more of these talks in the future, so contact us if you'd like to have us come and speak to your group.

Springwatch Sunday was just lovely - lots of children enjoying the orchard and learning how to plant trees, fruit bushes and mistletoe seeds. Pics to follow.

We did a 'blossom survey'
On Sunday 18 April 2009 the following trees were in full blossom:
Red Victoria (C)
Lord Peckover (A)
Lady Hollendale (B)
Jolly Miller (C)

In bud, probably out by now, were:
Cockett's Red (D)
Wayside (C)
Muffit's Seedling (D)
New Rock Pippin (C)

Let me explain the letter grades. Fruit trees are classified as to when they come into blossom, so that pollination can occur. If you have just one tree in your orchard that flowers early, it may not get pollinated - you need two. When you look through a catalogue of fruit trees, you will see a code next to them, usually ABCDE, but sometimes just early mid or late. Our trees are a good mix of all periods, but as you can see from the letters above, some of them have come into flower early. Or maybe Lord Peckover is late? He is supposed to flower with the crab apples, which will act as cross pollinators, as there is not another (A) period Cambridge apple tree. Perhaps he knew he was alone? The crab apples have almost finished flowering. It will be interesting to see if Lord Peckover produces apples this year.

Springwatch Sunday 18 April and beyond

2009-03-27T16:03:00.000Z

Well, the weather was not so good on 8 March, it was blustery and cold. But it was the first fine day we have had in a while, and I expect people were out and about doing other things. We weren't overrun with visitors for the birdhouse project, but we did get two new volunteers, who helped to weed the hedgerow and plant a tree. Thanks very much for your help, we appreciate it.

On Thursday 16 April, two founder members of the Orchard Project are standing up and speaking to the Trumpington Gardeners' Society (TRuGS), in the Trumpington Village Hall at 7:30pm. This is open to non-members if you pay £1. More information from their site.
http://www.geocities.com/trumpingtongardeningsociety/

Our next Sunday event is Springwatch Sunday 18 April (we moved a week from our regular slot so as to miss Easter Sunday). from 11am - 1pm you can come along and help record all the signs of spring in the Orchard. For instance, at the moment there are three types of violet growing in the woodland area - come along and map, photograph or just admire them. This event is open to all the family, and is part of the BBC Springwatch campaign, which will be on TV in late May.

Spring Sunday in the Orchard

2009-02-26T13:15:00.000Z

Our next session for monthly upkeep of the orchard is scheduled for Sunday 8 March, between 11am - 1pm.
We will be planting some soft fruit, pruning the crab apple trees in the hedgerow, and making bird houses from garden wire and old carrier bags!

These a fun project that can be made by adults, and nimble-fingered, patient children from about ages 10 and up - although they will need help to cut the wire safely.

We will make some together on the day, so here is a sheet of 'what you need' I will take photos during the session and post up some 'step by step' instructions after the event, in case you miss it, or you want to make six more...

Making a recycled birdhouse

On Sunday 8 March 11am – 1pm

These Scandinavian-inspired birdhouses can be hung anywhere for small birds, or you can fill them with bird seed and see who drops by to eat.

Please note that this activity is quite fiddly. Children with some patience and dexterity will enjoy it (over the age of ten), but an adult will need to supervise at all times, and cut the wire as required. The whole birdhouse should take no more than an hour to complete.

You will need

6 x 3ft lengths of garden wire (the Orchard project will supply this on the day)
About 3 ft of thin garden wire for binding and fastening (the Orchard project will supply this_

Five Carrier bags - the stronger, and more colourful, the better. Not mentioning any names, but if you can tear or poke a hole in them really easily, best not to use them. Lots of different colours makes lots of nice stripes on your final birdhouse. You will need five carrier bags but bring more if you have them and we can share the colours around.

The bags are cut up into strips – as long as you can. I find it best to go lengthwise up and down the bag – you can make two very good long strips by incorporating the handles, and then about four shorter ones from the middle section.
The strips should be about 3 cm wide at most.
We will give you instructions on the day, so bring whole carrier bags if you prefer.

You may bring tin snips or wire cutters if you have them, otherwise we can provide them.

You may like to bring a cushion or a kneeler – not to sit on, but to hold your work steady in your lap.

Bring another cushion to sit on, if you like!

Monthly Maintenance Sunday 8 February

2009-02-03T14:22:00.000Z

This Sunday we will be holding our usual maintenance session, but don't think of it as work; think of it as a chance to come out in the fresh air and meet people, and learn a little about pruning fruit trees.

A couple of weeks ago I went on a pruning course run by the Apples and Orchards project - as you can see from these photos, it was a bit nippy out, but I learned a lot and met lots more folk interested in trees and keen to do more to preserve them.

Wassail!

2009-01-15T21:50:00.000Z

On Sunday 11 January, we welcomed the Cambridge Mummers to our Orchard, and they sang traditional Wassail songs, and we all stamped and clapped. Local residents, drawn by the music, came along to see what we were doing, swelled our numbers - and increased the libations of spiced cider.

We hung traditional 'toasts' in the oldest apple tree, poured a small amount under each new tree to encourage them in the future, sang and danced some more, and saluted the trees.

Dates for 2009

2009-01-14T15:59:00.000Z

We hold regular maintenance sessions once a month - usually on the second Sunday of the month, from 11am - 1pm. No need to bring tools with you, or to book in advance - just turn up and help out. Our tasks usually include tidying and weeding the hedge, tending to the apple trees, and something to help out wildlife. Where possible we will also have a task suitable for children. Here are the dates for 2009 - watch the blog for updates on activities

Sunday 8 February - including basic pruning demonstrations

Sunday 8 March - making bird houses from garden wire and carrier bags. Suitable for children age 7 and over, with adult help.

Sunday 19 April

Sunday 10 May

Sunday 14 June

Sunday 12 July

Sunday 9 August

Sunday 13 September

Sunday 11 October - watch out for national Apple Day events at this time

Sunday 15 November

Sunday 13 December

The Aims of the Orchard

2009-01-14T15:43:00.000Z

This project aims to:

Improve local biodiversity
Provide a habitat for wildlife
Maintain the current green space adjacent to the allotments
Produce food for local people
Preserve local heritage varieties of apple and plum
Offer local people the opportunity to learn more about growing their own fruit
Grow a beautiful, well-maintained and productive green space where you can relax.

Visitors to the site have watched its transformation from common use land, blighted by brambles and fly-tipping, into an orchard with growing trees, a native species hedge and wildflowers underfoot.

In January 2008 we planted the Orchard with nineteen varieties of heritage Cambridgeshire apples and plum trees, together with traditional fruit-bearing shrubs.
We have put in benches so that you can sit and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and perhaps spot some of the wildlife. There is a kissing gate to provide access for mobility scooters, buggies and wheelchairs.
Visitors are always welcome, and there are plenty of opportunities to get involved, help out, or just come to our events and celebrate orchards and apples.

Trumpington Community Orchard

2009-01-14T15:04:00.000Z

Trumpington Community Orchard Team - I am testing out a new blog as I have found the old one difficult to manipulate. But our email will stay the same.

Content will be imported so we can all see what it would look like.

I can put in links to flickr pages, and a page of dates.

Contents, when I get there, will be:

Dates for 2009
Links and info on Breathing Places
Lots of photos
Information for volunteers - and those who would like to be
Information on the moths and creepy crawlies
Lots of information about the apples!
How to look after an apple tree
Basic pruning and where to learn more
All the contact details
Phases of the moon and weather
Folk history of apples and Wassailing
Basic minutes of the meetings of the TCOP Management Group
Anything else that anyone suggests to me