Crunch time for orchards (From Worcester News)

Crunch time for orchards

9:56am Monday 22nd February 2010 in

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ORCHARDS are an enduring feature of the landscapes of Worcestershire and Herefordshire.

Together with the Malvern Hills and now, to a lesser extent hop fields, they epitomise this part of England. So it’s really quite important they are preserved.

To that end, as part of its revitalisation of our once sprawling orchard network, Worcestershire County Council is offering fruit tree management and restoration training to volunteers from around the area.

Those involved will gain knowledge and skills, as well as increase their confidence in how to look after fruit trees in their back gardens, allotments and rolling acres.

With more and more people interested in growing their own produce and an increased recognition of orchards as an important habitat for wildlife there has never been a better time to get involved in helping to maintain this precious resource while growing your own fresh fruit with no carbon ‘fruit prints’ at all.

The Community Greenspace team is encouraging the restoration and management of current orchards, as well as the planting of new ones using local, historic fruit varieties.

The Fruit Trees for Worcestershire scheme that the team runs includes carefully grown varieties of fruit trees that are locally distinctive to Worcestershire. These varieties are available for people to buy. The apple trees cost £14; pears trees, £15.50 and plum trees, £16.25.

There are five varieties of apples, including: Worcester Pearmain, Tupstones, King Coffee, Hanwell Souring and Chatley’s Kernal.

The two types of pear are the famous Worcester Black and Pitmaston Duchess and the two plums varieties available are Yellow Pershore and Purple Pershore.

The apples are offered on two different rootstocks, suitable for either domestic gardens or orchard planting.

M26 ,which is a dwarf rootstock, will grow to about three or four metres (10 to 13 ft) in height, this one would be ideal for smaller gardens.

The M25 rootstock grows to about six metres (20ft) in height, this is the more traditional size of fruit tree and would be ideal for planting on a field or an orchard.

To accompany the fruit tree scheme the team is organising an all-day “all you need to know about fruit trees” training course on Wednesday, March 3, at Worcester Woods Country Park, at a cost of £15 per person.

The day will aim to give people the knowledge and skills necessary to grow their own fruit trees in their gardens or allotments and will cover a range of interesting topics, such as selecting the appropriate tree for your situation, rootstocks and grafting, planting, aftercare and pruning.

Joanne Barrow, Worcestershire County Council’s community greenspace officer, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for people to come along, learn a little something and be part of the restoration and upkeep of Worcestershire’s wonderful fruity heritage.”

For more information, contact members of the community greenspace team on 01905 766493 or e-mail communitygreenspace@ worcestershire.gov.uk.