We don’t need to sell anyone here on the virtues of masks and dogs, but joining a Paramilitree organisation at my age seemed impossible “Ah, go on” says the Phantom Planter in a musical Irish voice, “you will, you will” All you need is the dogs, safety masks, your mate Dave with a spade, and… Continue reading Belfast’s Phantom Fruit Tree Planter
Tag: fruit tree
Chadderton Plants Community Orchard for Giants
Making Community Orchards work is blooming tough, and it helps if you start with the right size trees We are in full armchair gardener mode on this one. Granby Street in Chadderton, Greater Manchester, is bravely attempting a community orchard, the first of 4 planned in the area. Community Orchards, like communities in general, are usually… Continue reading Chadderton Plants Community Orchard for Giants
Apple Pollination Groups & Dates
October is a Good Time to Plan Orchards October is main bulb planting time. Why am I making you think about pollinating fruit trees? Pollination happens in blooming Spring over six months away, which is literally a whole year. But the bareroot tree planting season is almost ‘pon us merry fellows, starting when weather permits… Continue reading Apple Pollination Groups & Dates
Why I love hazelnuts. Or cobnuts?
What is the difference between a cobnut and a filbert? Are they the same thing, with regional variations of nomenclature? Is a filbert the fancier version of a cobnut with a longer husk? And how do they relate to hazelnuts? There must be a kernel of truth in there somewhere… Kent is where you’ll find… Continue reading Why I love hazelnuts. Or cobnuts?
Heritage Fruit: History in the Garden
Growing and harvesting fruit is one of the great joys of gardening. Nothing quite matches the luxury of eating warm raspberries and blueberries straight from the garden, picking the first rosy Worcester Pearmain of the season in September, or finding the soft fuzz has rubbed off the quinces in mid-October, revealing shiny yellow pear-shaped fruits… Continue reading Heritage Fruit: History in the Garden
Bring on the blossom
Every year the anticipation mounts. I look out of my bedroom window at the ornamental plum tree on the street, scouring its deep claret branches for signs that the colour is changing, life stirring within. Subtly, from a solid winter opacity to something with just a hint of deepest rose. Sometimes I think I see… Continue reading Bring on the blossom
A guide to fruit tree pollination
The science (and sometimes the snake-oil) can run deep when it comes to fruit tree pollination. You could read endless books and research studies on how to optimise your orchard with a diversity of cross-pollinators to achieve a bumper crop. For most growers, it’s actually pretty straightforward to get the right results. This guide should… Continue reading A guide to fruit tree pollination
Homemade Plum Chutney Recipe
Plum chutney can be made with plums or damsons and it’s a good way of using up damaged or misshapen sweet plums. If a plum is bruised, still put it all in – it makes no difference once it’s cooked. Stoning the Plums: The easy way to do this is to simmer them in a… Continue reading Homemade Plum Chutney Recipe
When to clip, trim & prune hedges?
Winter and Summer Winter is generally the best time to prune woody subjects and it certainly is the best time to trim the hedge plants you have just planted. Hedges must be clipped and sometimes pruned. Fruit trees need some pruning to maintain the best crops. Older ornamental trees can need pruning if they are damaged or… Continue reading When to clip, trim & prune hedges?
Fruit Trees at Altitude
We get lots of enquiries about growing fruit trees in the UK at altitude, often from people who have seen Sepp Holzer at over 3600ft in Austria. They are surprised to hear us say: “Unfortunately, your high altitude, windswept location sounds beautiful, but terrible for fruit trees in the UK. South facing gets sun, but… Continue reading Fruit Trees at Altitude