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Bringing orchards into the heart of urban communities

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Home » Links and further resources

Links and further resources

Useful guides

Click through the links below to read a series of practical guides covering traditional orchard management, developed by Chris Wedge, orchard specialist at Natural England and occasional expert for us.

The notes are aimed at anyone who owns, manages or is simply interested in traditional orchards.  They are available to download (free of charge) from the Natural England online publications catalogue.

  • 012 Traditional orchards: a summary: provides a summary of the key information contained in the series of technical information notes and a list of orchard related organisations and bibliography.
  • 013 Traditional Orchards: site and tree selection – provides guidance on how to select sites for new orchards and the types of tree to plant within new and existing orchards.
  • 014 Traditional orchards: planting and establishing fruit trees – provides guidance on when and how to plant fruit trees and on their management in the first few years after planting.
  • 015 Traditional orchards: an introduction to pruning – provides guidance on the reasons for, and the basic principles behind, the pruning of fruit trees.
  • 016 Traditional orchards: formative pruning of young trees – provides guidance on why young trees require formative pruning and on how to prune them.
  • 017 Traditional orchards: maintenance pruning – provides guidance on the reasons for the routine pruning of fruit trees and advice on the methods used.
  • 018 Traditional orchards: restoring and managing mature and neglected orchards – provides guidance on how to assess a neglected orchard that is in poor condition and decide what pruning and other management work may be needed to bring it back into good condition.
  • 019 Traditional orchards: fruit tree health – provides guidance on identifying, and managing for, the main pests, diseases and nutrient deficiencies that may affect a traditional orchard.
  • 020 Traditional orchards: orchards and wildlife – provides guidance on the conservation and sensitive management of orchards to preserve and benefit the wildlife contained within them.
  • 021 Traditional orchards: glossary – provides a glossary of some of the many technical terms used in fruit production.
This All About Apples Forum run by the website Orange Pippin also has great answers to lots of common fruit tree issues.

Here are links to organisations close to ours in their aims and values – our list of friends that may be of interest to you. Please get in touch if you think your organisation should be added to this list

National and International Friends

  • Great British Trees – Specialist Mail Order Fruit Tree Nursery based in Wales who offer a 25% discount on tree orders by charities, schools and colleges
  • Frank Matthews –  Fruit and Nut tree nursery with 100 years of fruit growing experience
  • Fruit ID – great website to help ID British fruit
  • Online Pollination checker – Correct pollination of your Fruit Trees increases crop size | Advice from Ashridge Nurseries
  • Brogdale – home of the national fruit collection
  • NHS Forest – sponsor a tree to be planted in NHS Forests
  • The Transition Town Network– people getting on with it across the UK
  • The Permaculture Association– all about permaculture in the UK
  • Community Land Advisory Service – offer free advice and useful training to orchard groups about land access, leases and finding a site
  • Grow Sheffield– the people behind the Abundance Project
  • City Fruit in Seattle– more stuff about urban growing and harvesting
  • Fruit-full Schools – planting fruit trees in schools accross the UK
  • The Abundance Network – harvesting fruit trees up and down the country
  • Orange Pippin – a comprehensive resource for apples and orchards
  • Orchard Network – Traditional Orchard UKHAP group
  • Gloucestershire Orchard Trust – Conserves, promotes and celebrates traditional orchards in Gloucestershire. Website has useful information of national relevance.
  • Tasting the Future – take practical steps together towards a “one planet” food system
  • The Federation of City Farms & Community Gardens supports, represents and promotes community-managed farms and gardens across the UK
  • The Conservation Volunteers help hundreds of thousands of people each year to reclaim local green places
  • Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming
  • Project Dirt is the UK’s most active network connecting and resourcing environmental and community projects

In and near London

  • HoiPolloi – a community orchard project across Harrow
  • Kingston Edible Forest 2100 – large permaculture orchard in Kingston
  • Edible Landscapes – growing food in Finsbury Park
  • Urban Harvest – finding free fruit in North London
  • Capital Growth– promoting growing in London
  • Naturewise– running permaculture courses
  • Project Dirt – the UK’s most active network connecting and resourcing environmental and community projects
  • London Permaculture Network – promoting permaculture in the capital
  • London Transition network – building resilient, sustainable communities
  • The London Wildlife Trust– custodians of some of the nicest spots in London
  • The Tree Musketeers in Hackney– tree lovers in East London
  • Organic Lea in Waltham Forest– inspiring co-op transforming London’s food
  • West Ealing Abundance Project– harvesting action in West London
  • The Friends of School House Lane Orchard– a community orchard in Teddington set up in 2006
  • Robin Hood Community Garden – a community garden in Clapton
  • Master Gardeners – advice and support growing food in Islington and South London
  • Fruit City– some folk mapping fruit trees in London
  • Hackney Harvest– our friends mapping and harvesting fruit trees in Hackney
  • Incredible Edible Lambeth– our friends mapping and harvesting fruit trees in Lambeth
  • The Re-Leaf partnership– the mayor’s initiative to plant more trees in London
  • Hackney Bike workshop– not tree related, but a great initiative nonetheless to get us all on our bikes
  • You Garden – helpful people who know about fruit trees
  • Müd – Guide to improving your Health & Wellbeing by Gardening

Greater Manchester

  • Red Rose Forest is the Community Forest for central and western Greater Manchester
  • Kindling is working towards a just and ecologically sustainable society
  • The Moss Cider Project: Community orchard and cider making project
  • Grafting for Orchards: An exciting new project that aims to renew the lost orchards and apple varieties of Greater Manchester
  • Operation Farm is a community-based organisation aimed at linking up sustainable and local food growers and producers with consumers

Birmingham

  • Growing Birmingham is an information hub about horticulture and local food growing in the city — who’s growing what and where.

Herefordshire

  • Bulmer Foundation aims to promote sustainable development and sustainable practices in Herefordshire and beyond
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Guides and advice

  • 10 beneficial predators to welcome in your orchard
  • Grant fundraising for your community orchard
  • Planning and designing an orchard
  • Pruning Veteran Trees
  • Choosing Apple Varieties to Plant
  • Making Leaf Mould
  • Planting your orchard
  • Helping Young Trees Establish in Summer
  • Involving the community in your orchard
  • The Importance of Mulching
  • 10 Amazing Species that live in Orchards!
  • Why are Orchards Priority Habitats?
  • Benefits of orchards and fruit growing
  • Community Cider Making
  • Community Mapping
  • When Should You Pick Apples and Pears?
  • Community Apple Pressing
  • Primary School Activities
  • Primary School Lesson Plans
  • How to Graft Fruit Trees
  • Pruning apple trees
  • Contamination issues
  • Growing fruit in containers
  • Restoration of old orchards
  • Flowering and pollination
  • Pests and diseases
  • How to celebrate our orchard heritage
  • Recipes to use up a glut of delicious fruit
  • The orchard year: spring
  • The orchard year: summer
  • The orchard year: autumn
  • The orchard year: winter
  • Links and further resources

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