With the evenings getting longer we can resume our regular Monday evening work sessions. These will resume on Monday 12th May. The sessions will run from 6.30 to 8 pm.
We've also got a couple of weekend sessions organised so please put these in your diary and come along.
17th May 10am - 2pm
31st May 10 - 2 pm.
Hope to see you there.
Showing posts with label work day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work day. Show all posts
March 2014 Planting Days
We held two planting days in March, and were blessed with dry days. By the end of the two days we had planted:
Apple
Crab Apple Dartmouth - this is to help with overall pollination of the apple trees on the orchard
*Bountiful
*Blenheim Orange
Pear
*Concorde
*Conference
*Comice
* grafted by us at a workshop in 2012
Stone Fruit
Damson Shropshire Prune
Gage Denniston's Superb
Gage Golden Transparent
Plum Marjorie's Seedling
These are all maiden trees so it will take a while before we can harvest the fruit.
Soft Fruit
Raspberry Glen Ample (x 10) (summer fruiting)
Raspberry Polka (x 10) (autumn fruiting)
We also need to build a raised bed to put two blueberry bushes in - as these were in pots getting them in the ground wasn't so crucial. The varieties are: Coville and Bluecrop.
This means the orchard is almost full. We have a little bit of space along a fence line with the bakery, but its nearly full.
Apple
Crab Apple Dartmouth - this is to help with overall pollination of the apple trees on the orchard
*Bountiful
*Blenheim Orange
Pear
*Concorde
*Conference
*Comice
* grafted by us at a workshop in 2012
Stone Fruit
Damson Shropshire Prune
Gage Denniston's Superb
Gage Golden Transparent
Plum Marjorie's Seedling
These are all maiden trees so it will take a while before we can harvest the fruit.
Soft Fruit
Raspberry Glen Ample (x 10) (summer fruiting)
Raspberry Polka (x 10) (autumn fruiting)
We also need to build a raised bed to put two blueberry bushes in - as these were in pots getting them in the ground wasn't so crucial. The varieties are: Coville and Bluecrop.
This means the orchard is almost full. We have a little bit of space along a fence line with the bakery, but its nearly full.
Sewa Volunteer Day - 6th October 2013
In August I was contacted by Hemma Mistry to ask if we could host a group of 15-20 volunteers on the Orchard. Sewa Day is a national event where people give a day of their time volunteering on a community project. Hemma had seen the display we put up in Unicorn Grocery and got in touch through that.
And so it came to pass that we were delighted to host this group of volunteers. There is always plenty to do on the orchard, but the main concern was what would we do if the weather was poor? We needn't have worried as the sun shone brightly for us all day.
We did lots of clearing of weeds on the orchard, planted some narcissus and primroses and built half of a raised bed, which will be planted with more trained trees and soft fruit between November and February. We also constructed bug boxes to sell to raise money for the orchard, these were filled and painted by the children who came on the day.
Here are some photos from the day.
To all the wonderful volunteers, thank you for choosing Orchard49 for your day of volunteering, please come again, you were fabulous.
And so it came to pass that we were delighted to host this group of volunteers. There is always plenty to do on the orchard, but the main concern was what would we do if the weather was poor? We needn't have worried as the sun shone brightly for us all day.
We did lots of clearing of weeds on the orchard, planted some narcissus and primroses and built half of a raised bed, which will be planted with more trained trees and soft fruit between November and February. We also constructed bug boxes to sell to raise money for the orchard, these were filled and painted by the children who came on the day.
Here are some photos from the day.
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| Group photo :) |
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| Building the raised bed |
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| Bug boxes filled and painted by the children |
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| Taking a break in the sunshine. |
Sunday September work sessions 15th and 29th 10-12am
Claire is
running two Sunday sessions between 10-12 on the 15th and
29th September
Please do come along and pitch in. If possible we hope to be starting to build some raised beds (wood delivery permitting) as well as the usual tasks. There also may be apples to sample - we picked some Tydeman's Early Worcester and some apples from one of the trees that were planted before we took on the plot on Monday and they were delicious (plus some pears and figs).
We also have a large group of volunteers (15-20) coming on 6th October. They are taking part in something called Sewa day and have chosen the orchard as a place to volunteer. If you'd like to help out on that day, please come along. I'll be sending out an email about timings for that later.
For 15th and 29th sessions as always weather permitting and ring or text at the gate if you don't have a key and the gates are closed. Claire's number is: 07914 793 625 (new number)
Finally - there might be an apple day happening on 13th October at the allotment site (to be confirmed).
Please do come along and pitch in. If possible we hope to be starting to build some raised beds (wood delivery permitting) as well as the usual tasks. There also may be apples to sample - we picked some Tydeman's Early Worcester and some apples from one of the trees that were planted before we took on the plot on Monday and they were delicious (plus some pears and figs).
We also have a large group of volunteers (15-20) coming on 6th October. They are taking part in something called Sewa day and have chosen the orchard as a place to volunteer. If you'd like to help out on that day, please come along. I'll be sending out an email about timings for that later.
For 15th and 29th sessions as always weather permitting and ring or text at the gate if you don't have a key and the gates are closed. Claire's number is: 07914 793 625 (new number)
Finally - there might be an apple day happening on 13th October at the allotment site (to be confirmed).
Weekend Orchard work sessions April-June
Hurrah, its getting warmer and the days are getting longer... so time to book in some work sessions on the orchard.
Claire is running some Sunday sessions as follows:
21 st of April from 12 - 2
12th of May 12 - 2
19th of May 10-12
2nd of June, 10-12
9th of June 10-12.
Do come along and get involved. Please contact Claire on 07989 962 916 if you don't have a key to the site so she can come and let you in. Its also wise to check whether the session is going ahead if its raining.
Monday evening sessions will also commence from 22nd April (but there won't be a session on 6th May). These will run from 6.30 - 8 p.m lead by Debbie. You can reach her on 07719 625 725.
Hope to see you soon.
Claire is running some Sunday sessions as follows:
21 st of April from 12 - 2
12th of May 12 - 2
19th of May 10-12
2nd of June, 10-12
9th of June 10-12.
Do come along and get involved. Please contact Claire on 07989 962 916 if you don't have a key to the site so she can come and let you in. Its also wise to check whether the session is going ahead if its raining.
Monday evening sessions will also commence from 22nd April (but there won't be a session on 6th May). These will run from 6.30 - 8 p.m lead by Debbie. You can reach her on 07719 625 725.
Hope to see you soon.
Sunny day on The Big Dig
On Saturday 16th March Orchard 49 took part in The Big Dig. All over the country community gardens opened to volunteers to get busy growing food. In Manchester, the sun shone (on and off) and we had a great time.
Food and drink was on hand to keep everone's energy levels up and we spent the time pruning all the trees and weeding around the base of the fruit trees and then giving them all a lovely thick mulch of horse manure. Thanks to everyone who helped.
Here are some photos:
Food and drink was on hand to keep everone's energy levels up and we spent the time pruning all the trees and weeding around the base of the fruit trees and then giving them all a lovely thick mulch of horse manure. Thanks to everyone who helped.
Here are some photos:
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| Claire putting back the tree guard after mulching |
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| Damien weeding along the fence line of cordon trees |
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| We had some lovely bunting! |
Big Dig Open Volunteering Day 16th March
We'll be holding an Open Volunteering Day on Saturday 16th March as part of The Big Dig.
From 12-2.30 pm we'll be busy working on the orchard, so do come along to lend a hand. Jobs we will be doing include:
Wear sturdy shoes! If you have gardening gloves, bring them - though we do have some.
Give Debbie a call on 07719 625 725 when you arrive so I can greet you and show you were the orchard is on the allotment site.
Location information: Seymour Grove allotments, off Warwick Court M16 0JG
How to get to the orchard:
Buses:15 (Stagecoach/Arriva) runs past Warwick Court (ask for Kings Road Primary).
84 runs along Seymour Grove, alight at Kings Road and its a 5 minute walk to the allotment site.
Metrolink: You can travel to Firswood station and its a 5 minute walk to the allotment site.
From 12-2.30 pm we'll be busy working on the orchard, so do come along to lend a hand. Jobs we will be doing include:
- Pruning the trees
- barrowing manure and mulching around the trees
- preparing for planting soft fruit
- planting trees we grafted last year
Wear sturdy shoes! If you have gardening gloves, bring them - though we do have some.
Give Debbie a call on 07719 625 725 when you arrive so I can greet you and show you were the orchard is on the allotment site.
Location information: Seymour Grove allotments, off Warwick Court M16 0JG
How to get to the orchard:
Buses:15 (Stagecoach/Arriva) runs past Warwick Court (ask for Kings Road Primary).
84 runs along Seymour Grove, alight at Kings Road and its a 5 minute walk to the allotment site.
Metrolink: You can travel to Firswood station and its a 5 minute walk to the allotment site.
Sunny Apple Day - 2012
Today was Apple Day at the allotment site and Orchard 49. Juice was pressed, apples and potatoes baked in our cob oven and we had samples of apples grown on the orchard for people to taste. We basked in autumnal sunshine and warm - delightful.
Work for the day, when not talking to visitors, was some hoeing - using a beautiful osillating hoe (Hydra Swing Hoe) from Implementations - who gifted the tool to the Orchard last year. We also painted the trees with fruit tree grease to prevent codling moth next year and picked some apples - lovely they were too.
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| Some of our apple samples on the lovely oak bench in the sunshine |
Work for the day, when not talking to visitors, was some hoeing - using a beautiful osillating hoe (Hydra Swing Hoe) from Implementations - who gifted the tool to the Orchard last year. We also painted the trees with fruit tree grease to prevent codling moth next year and picked some apples - lovely they were too.
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| Claire making light work of hoeing with the wonderful Hydra Swing Hoe |
July Progress
We've had some success in July with the planned sessions. Four have been held so far and the orchard is looking much better for all the work.
If you're passing come and admire the bench, under the pergola, and sit awhile. Thanks to Julie for putting the bench in.
We've also now got two large compost bins and thanks largely to Richard the dreaded weed pile is no more. We're wet composting the pernicious weeds (couch grass, bindweed, dock, creeping thistle etc.) and composting the annual weeds.
The trees are doing well, and more volunteers are always welcome to come and help out.
More July sessions are planned:
Weekend date 12.30-2.30 Sunday 29th July (Claire leading)
Weekday evening 6.30-8 pm Monday 30th July (Debbie leading)
Telephone numbers for session leaders:
Claire 07989 962 916
Debbie 07719 625 725
As ever, thanks to all you hardworking volunteers.
If you're passing come and admire the bench, under the pergola, and sit awhile. Thanks to Julie for putting the bench in.
We've also now got two large compost bins and thanks largely to Richard the dreaded weed pile is no more. We're wet composting the pernicious weeds (couch grass, bindweed, dock, creeping thistle etc.) and composting the annual weeds.
The trees are doing well, and more volunteers are always welcome to come and help out.
More July sessions are planned:
Weekend date 12.30-2.30 Sunday 29th July (Claire leading)
Weekday evening 6.30-8 pm Monday 30th July (Debbie leading)
Telephone numbers for session leaders:
Claire 07989 962 916
Debbie 07719 625 725
As ever, thanks to all you hardworking volunteers.
Feb and March Work sessions in 2012
February and March are busy times for orchards in development. We've organised some work sessions as follows:
Jobs and dates
Constructing apple arches in the middle of the orchard Sunday 19 Feb and/or Sunday 26 Feb
Do further prep of ground for trees (esp. by the bakery wall) Sunday 19 Feb and/or Sunday 26 Feb
Plant trees and other fruit on the orchard Sunday 4th March and/or Sunday 18th March
Because its often frosty first thing these sessions will run for a couple of hours from 12.30-2.30 - as hopefully by then the temperature will have improved some.
Jobs and dates
Constructing apple arches in the middle of the orchard Sunday 19 Feb and/or Sunday 26 Feb
Do further prep of ground for trees (esp. by the bakery wall) Sunday 19 Feb and/or Sunday 26 Feb
Plant trees and other fruit on the orchard Sunday 4th March and/or Sunday 18th March
Because its often frosty first thing these sessions will run for a couple of hours from 12.30-2.30 - as hopefully by then the temperature will have improved some.
We can't promise to have any hot food for sharing, so please bring something with you for lunch.
If you're thinking of coming along for the first time please call or email so we can let you know if we cancel the session due to weather conditions.
Email: orchard49 @ otags.org.uk
Call: 07960 713 018
Hope to see you there.
Sunny November Orchard Work Days
We have had three Sunday orchard work sessions with clear blue skies in November. This has meant we've made great progress with preparation for planting in the winter.
We have the area along the fence line ready for more vertical cordon trees to go in (all apple) and the fence line with the bakery, the area around the fig tree have both been dug multiple times to get to grips with bramble etc.
Its looking good! Check when our next work session is happening on the Work Days page, or email orchard49 at otags.org.uk - we will add you to our mailing list and notify you about sessions.
We have the area along the fence line ready for more vertical cordon trees to go in (all apple) and the fence line with the bakery, the area around the fig tree have both been dug multiple times to get to grips with bramble etc.
Its looking good! Check when our next work session is happening on the Work Days page, or email orchard49 at otags.org.uk - we will add you to our mailing list and notify you about sessions.
January Work Days
We are planning to have three work days in January to get trees planted. We will be on the orchard on 22nd and 23rd January between 11 and 2 pm and again on 29th January between 11 and 2 pm.
Laura Mackay is making soup for the 22nd/23rd January sessions, so do come along. If the weather is very poor please give Debbie a call on 07960 713 018.
By way of inspiration, here is an artist's impression of the orchard - we need your help to make it so. Thanks to Julie for doing this great artwork.
Laura Mackay is making soup for the 22nd/23rd January sessions, so do come along. If the weather is very poor please give Debbie a call on 07960 713 018.
By way of inspiration, here is an artist's impression of the orchard - we need your help to make it so. Thanks to Julie for doing this great artwork.
Making progress
Our last work day (4th September) was very productive. Many thanks to everyone who came and helped. We had 8 people working hard. A new volunteer, Ayla helped dig up potatoes planted to use the ground while we get ready for planting in the winter. We hope to see her again at another work day (and hope you enjoy those potatoes)!
Our grafted trees are growing well too - so well that their tags needed adjusting, as the girth of their stems had grown so that the tags were squeezing the bark.
We have a community day on Friday 17th September when Wates Living Space will be coming to the community orchard to work with us on laying a path and fencing. The fencing which will be used to plant some of the grafted trees.
For some photos see the Work Days page.
Our grafted trees are growing well too - so well that their tags needed adjusting, as the girth of their stems had grown so that the tags were squeezing the bark.
We have a community day on Friday 17th September when Wates Living Space will be coming to the community orchard to work with us on laying a path and fencing. The fencing which will be used to plant some of the grafted trees.
For some photos see the Work Days page.
29th May Work Day
We are holding another orchard work day this coming weekend - if you're free it would be great to see you. We will be on the allotment site 12-4 on Saturday 29th May. As its been so dry - and therefore the ground is very hard, we won't be concentrating on digging (unless you are very keen!) but there is plenty to do at the bottom end of the orchard which wasn't worked on much last year.
Hopefully there will be a skip on the allotment site which we can use to dispose of any rubbish unearthed during the day. We'll be tacking bramble that has sprouted (digging it out if its possible), clearing away the remnants of an old building and general clearing of the very bottom end of the orchard which has been used as a dumping ground over the years.
If you're able to spare and hour or two it would be great to see you. If you're just curious to see how things are shaping up please come along - you can see all the trees that were grafted at our grafting workshop in March - most of them have taken - which is very encouraging, as we were all novices at grafting.
Call me (Debbie) on the day if the gate isn't open - 07960 713 018 - and I'll come let you in. You can find us on Plot 49 (past the community plot on the far right hand corner of the site) Seymour Grove Allotments, off Warwick Court, Kings Road (Warwick Court is next to Kings Road Primary School).
Debbie
Hopefully there will be a skip on the allotment site which we can use to dispose of any rubbish unearthed during the day. We'll be tacking bramble that has sprouted (digging it out if its possible), clearing away the remnants of an old building and general clearing of the very bottom end of the orchard which has been used as a dumping ground over the years.
If you're able to spare and hour or two it would be great to see you. If you're just curious to see how things are shaping up please come along - you can see all the trees that were grafted at our grafting workshop in March - most of them have taken - which is very encouraging, as we were all novices at grafting.
Call me (Debbie) on the day if the gate isn't open - 07960 713 018 - and I'll come let you in. You can find us on Plot 49 (past the community plot on the far right hand corner of the site) Seymour Grove Allotments, off Warwick Court, Kings Road (Warwick Court is next to Kings Road Primary School).
Debbie
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