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 them? Recent research conducted at the University of Reading delved into the impact of growing wildflowers beneath apple trees on the insect population and how […]
wildlife
Six reasons to plant fruit trees
It’s tree planting season, and that means lots of people are donning their boots and braving the weather 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? There are many […]
A little patch of nature
A spontaneous decision to try something completely different was a life-changing moment for Satu Fox. The 38-year-old attended our orchard open day with Lewisham Homes just a few minutes’ walk from her London flat. The next thing she knew, she was signing up for five hours of orchard management training with professionals and park keepers […]
My mission: To inspire more people ‘to do their bit’
“Philanthropy is often seen as giving to benefit people who don’t have what you have, or to people overseas. The shift that happened for me was I realised … that every single cause that we were ever going to support was going to be made much worse by climate change.” Sophie Marple, founder of the […]
Take a walk on the wild side
We’ve gathered some ideas from our popular Certificate in Community Orcharding Course to help get you started on making your garden or orchard more ‘wild’ and encourage more beneficial pollinators to take up residence there: What’s already there? Explore what natural habitats already exist before you decide what to do next. Wildlife such as nesting […]
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 they can help mitigate the impacts of our changing weather patterns, and call for urban community-run orchards to be embraced as an exemplary […]
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 […]
Which bloomin’ blossom is it? Our guide to blossom timing
Now is the time to relish the beautiful blossoms all around us in our parks, streets, orchards and gardens, just as our pollinators will be! Here’s our useful guide to which fruit trees blossom when. February to May One of the lovely things about fruit tree blossom is that different species, and different varieties, bloom […]
From Wort-yards to the Wildwoods of Scotland (part 1)
Foraging with Mark Williams – bringing the wild alive in us by taste and discovery. A taste adventure. At this time of year in the orchard we can see the fruits beginning to form on the trees and the fruit bushes – but we have the whole summer to wait until the main harvest. This is […]