midsummer orchard workday 20th June 2015

Weather is an important consideration when gardening and the forecast promised some heavy rain. When we arrived there was a light drizzle which soon stopped and the rain held off throughout our session. If we include baby Daniel, there were 9 volunteers. 

Our aim today was :
- to cut down some more of the fence guards round the orchard trees, to allow  branches to spread out
- to remove weeds inside the fencing and a circular space around the outside of the fencing
- to check for pests and diseases in the apples, pears and plums
- do some light pruning of the apples and pears to allow light and air into the middle of the trees
- to do a bit of formative pruning of the plums
- to add a thick layer of mulch round the outside of the fence guards, to retain moisture and help the tree roots
Mike and Jon cut down some of the fence guards. Jon was helped by family members:

three volunteers pose for a photo

Others concentrated on weeding and mulching or on pruning.

mulching

volunteer tidies up the freshly laid mulch

Last tree to be mulched

At the end of the session we had completed all the tasks we had set out to do . . . and then it started to rain. The orchard is looking cared for. The fruit on the trees will have a better chance of growing to a reasonable size and we might be able to think about an autumn celebration!