96 trees pruned31 volunteers22 trees mulched£4,180 raised of £6,000
Six Saturdays since apple day and the old block is two-thirds pruned. Ellie, our pruner, took the worst of the Bramleys down by a metre and opened up their centres; volunteers followed on with loppers and barrows. The brash is stacked by the gate to dry; the chipper comes in January, once the last trees are done.
What your gifts paid for this month
Seed: 12 bare-root apple treesOrdered from a Somerset tree grower, planting in February£396
Grow: the chipper, for JanuaryA month's hire: about 9 tonnes of mulch£610
Orchard: two days of Ellie's timeThe 11 oldest trees, the ones volunteers can't safely reach£520
What's next
- About four more Saturdays to finish the old block in November and December, then the pears along the brook.
- The chipper arrives in the first week of January; we need six people with gloves.
- Planting day for the 12 new trees is in February. Seed donors get first pick of which tree they plant.
Thank you, all of you. A gift every month means we can book Ellie and the chipper in October, not hope for the money in March.
Nkem Ashworth-LyleDirector, Brookside Orchard Trust
