This is an orchard report from one of our CICO6 students – Daniel Strangleman. He was asked to gather information about Claybury orchard and produced this lovely personal piece. For more information our CICO course, click here. Claybury orchard lies within Claybury Park and is situated to the south-east of Claybury Woods, an ancient forest that dates back to at least the 1600’s. As I
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CREATING COMMUNITY ORCHARDS DURING LOCKDOWN IN WALES
We have been very excited this winter to work with local groups in Wales designing some brand new community orchards. These are located in local parks close to the centre…
Jargon Busting!
From eco- to bio-, with a bit of agro- in between, our Finance and Operations Manager, Kathryn, helps us decipher the basics of food growing terminology. Kathryn joined The Orchard…
Women in Cider
March marks International Women’s History Month, so what better way to celebrate than to highlight the important role of women in cider! Cider production in the UK has a long, rich…
How to Chop-down in a Lockdown: Winter Pruning Advice (from a distance)
Despite tiers and lockdowns we want to help you with the skills and confidence to prune your fruit tree this winter. We've put together a list of our best in-house…
Introducing our Orchard Design Kit
One of the first steps when we encounter a new group is gathering them together for an orchard design session. Rather than dictate what we think a community should plant…
Biodiversity at its best: The Dulverton Programme
After the successful completion of a year-long programme on biodiversity, Head of Programmes & Operations Ella Hashemi reflects on its impact and challenges. Judging from my local park, people are…
6 Reasons to Plant Fruit Trees
It’s National Tree Week, and that means lots of people are donning their boots to plant whips and saplings. Increasing the UK's tree coverage is vital for carbon capture, cleaner…
The joy to be gleaned in an orchard during lockdown
I am writing this at the start of our November COVID-19 lockdown in England. I try to remember what I did last time round, back in that beautiful spring time, when the unexpected closure…
The Velojuicer – an apple revolution
Here is an in-depth look at the Velojuicer, our pedal-powered apple juicer. A lightweight, mobile, all-in-one machine that scrats, presses, and juices apples using only human power and a bit…