As a bit of a forest gardening eager beaver, I’ve been reading some back issues of Agroforestry News. One article from 2015 caught my eye: ‘Tackling green xenophobia’. It’s also published here. In it, veteran eco journalist Fred Pearce argues that the risks of invasive non-native species is often overstated and that these plants can […]
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 resources, links to books, videos and other tips for when you can safely get out outside and prune your trees.
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 and where each tree should go, we listen and respond with our expert advice as required. It’s an opportunity for communities to really take ownership […]
What does a resilient orchard look like?
Many of our orchards are surprisingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Not only is physical damage caused by, for example, late frosts or strong winds, but the stress caused by unpredictable weather makes our trees much more vulnerable to pests and diseases. This all has the effect of reducing yields. So what strategies […]
London Orchard Polycultures: strength in diversity
Why we might want to plant more than apples, plums and pears in our community orchards The Orchard Project’s logo shows an apple, plum and pear because these are some of the most reliable and commonly found top fruits in community orchards. However, there are several reasons why we should be being more adventurous, where […]
The Landscape of Loneliness: Making Space for Nature
We may not give it our full attention, but the built environment around us shapes our mood, our thoughts, our health and our relationships. It’s not just the dimensions of our houses, flats and rooms, but the life between buildings – the public spaces. Green spaces especially are known to improve the quality of city […]
Top Tips for Hosting the Perfect Orchard Picnic
With the recent warm weather spring is most definitely well on its way and soon you’ll be bathed in blossom, we love nothing more than gathering our community orchard teams, their local community a few performers and most definitely a face painter for an cracking springtime picnic. Inspired by the Japanese tradition of ‘Hanami’ meaning […]
Certificate in Community Orcharding update
What nicer thing is there to keep on learning about than trees, especially those that give you something to eat? And how lovely to also share that learning with others. Luckily for me, that’s what I spend most of my time doing, especially when I’m working on CICO; the Crossfields Institute, level 3 Certificate in […]