Our Edinburgh Project Manager, Chris, opens his ears to the sounds of the orchard in winter. He also considers ideas for community events that will tap into these aural pleasures. What seasonal sounds in January and February, do you associate with your orchard? Is it the rhythmical ‘snip’ of secateurs, as fruit trees are given […]
Blog
To Bee or Not To Bee..
by Stephanie Irvine, one of our London Project Managers. We need to talk about honey bees! Many urban community orchards want to keep bee hives, and you can understand why. Honey bees are fascinating creatures, they pollinate your fruit trees and produce delicious honey. What’s not to like? The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is only […]
Diary of a CICO student
Our Certificate in Community Orcharding (CICO) is the UK’s first and only accredited course in community orchards. One of our committed students, Tamasin, has kindly shared her CICO journey with us below. We currently have a course open for registration in South-west London, if you’re considering signing up to the course (info here), her reflections […]
Orchards Against Climate Change: Nature-based solutions
Nature-based solutions (NbS) can play an important role in tackling the climate crisis. It is currently something of a buzzword among environmentalists in fact. In this blog, we unpack how and why NbS help mitigate the impacts of our changing weather patterns, and call for urban community-run orchards to be embraced as an exemplary NbS. What is a nature-based solution? Nature-based solutions (NbS) are actions that work with nature to address societal challenges (such as climate change). It is important that they provide benefits […]
How to set up a charity: in conversation with our co-founder
Carina Millstone is a Co-Founder of The Orchard Project (TOP) and is now an Ambassador. She is a permaculturalist, who first noticed the opportunity for more orchards within London’s environmental movement. Here Carina tells us about what inspired her vision for TOP, how she made it a reality and how you could do the same! […]
10 YEARS AT TOP: a grand anniversary for our London orchard legend, Lewis McNeill
Last month Lewis McNeill celebrated ten years of working at The Orchard Project. Over this time, Lewis has built up a considerable reputation among the London community gardening sector and is well-respected for his impressive knowledge of fruit tree care and permaculture approaches. It’s amazing that Lewis’ passion for community orchards remains as strong as […]
Claybury Orchard – a sanctuary for both wildlife and the mind
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 […]
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 Project last year. She explains why growing plants is so important for her wellbeing and why she’s delving into Forest Gardening. I first became interested […]
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 air and shade coverage as the climate warms. But have you considered fruit trees for your tree-planting mission?
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 of good humour. In a year when we can’t celebrate Apple Day as usual, here’s a wee taste of how we hope it can be […]