orchard winter tree pruning 21st Feb 2020

It is half term and we have a weekday event on Friday 21st February from 10.30 am to 1 pm.
Come and join other volunteers at our orchard winter pruning event at the orchard opposite the tennis courts.
Arrive at 10.30 pm for training.
No previous skills are needed as we will show you what to do including how to check the trees, which branches to prune, how much to prune. We will also mulch  the ground under the trees - a task that children can do with parental help.
 There was a huge amount of rain from Storm Dennis last weekend (15th & 16th February) and the previous weekend from Storm Ciara so the ground is saturated. Please wear clothes that you don't mind getting muddy and waterproof shoes or wellington boots.

Lovely day for orchard work

It was really cold and the ground in the orchard was frozen when we arrived but the sun slowly worked its magic and ice turned to mud.
We had 8 adults and 4 children at our workday, some adults already experienced in orchard pruning and some learning skills for the first time. The children got stuck in to remove grass encroaching into the tree pits and then to mulch the areas they had cleared. In 1.5 hours we managed to check tree health, prune apple trees trees, adjust tree guards, remove weeds and add mulch. We had a fun session.

Volunteers setting up at the start of the morning

three children collecting wood chips for mulching