At the turning of the year, I will step down as Chair of The Orchard Project. I’ve enjoyed nine years on the Board, the length of time it takes many orchard trees to mature and produce a reliable crop.This perfectly reflects the growth and maturing I have witnessed in my nine years with The Orchard Project. I joined the Board of an organisation packed full of passion, energy, ideas and small r
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Buzzing orchards: Apples, wildflowers, and the secret life of bugs
Picture an orchard: what do you see? Most likely, you’ll see fruit-laden trees. But what is growing below and between the trees? And what is living in and around the…
The season of medlar fruitfulness: bletting and harvesting
This blog was written by Jane Steward, who kindly shared her knowledge and recipes with us. Jane is the Plant Heritage National Collection Holder of medlars, Mespilus germanica, in Eastgate,…
A wee Scottish orchard odyssey
My job involves co-ordinating aftercare for our newly planted orchards. I recently went to Scotland to attend our Orchard Gathering in Glasgow and used it as an opportunity to visit…
Juicing with schools
It’s the time of the year when our fruit trees look bountiful and we are looking forward to harvesting the fruit from our orchards, as a reward for our hard…
Orchards on the inside
At first glance it looks like any other community orchard setting – people are focused on a pruning task and are chatting under the summer sun – but it’s actually…
Meet the solitary bees
One of the joys of spending time outdoors in the warmer weather is spotting the insects also making the most of the sunshine, buzzing between the flowers, stocking up on…
Community orchards – tragedy or victory of the commons?
Community orchards are a growing movement, with hundreds of new fruit trees being planted each year. In another decade, as the trees reach maturity, we will start to see a…
Creating nourishing ecosystems for all
As we’ve covered in our blog on racial justice and orchards and in other blogs, one thing that’s really important to The Orchard Project is that our work is inclusive…
Bird spotting in a Spring orchard
Orchards, particularly traditional ones, are invaluable refuges for many bird species, whether in the heart of a city or a rural village. They provide a tasty range of arthropods (such…