Orchard Project Latest

Posted: Thursday February 26, 2009 by Nick in Growing

The Todmorden orchard continues to grow with 156 trees planted so far. The second site, adjacent to Woodlands avenue is all done with 44 trees planted by residents, the community payback team and a few dog walking locals.

Mostly apple trees and a few plums. There is no sign of vandalism on either site yet, just a bit of a wild critter gnawing thru one rabbit spiral at about 30cm height on woodlands, hungry toddler? badger?

the community payback lads have been fantastic prepairing the land and planting trees,here they are at woodlands

Planting in the town centre continues including replacing trees on county bridge where the cherrys planted in November went AWOL. We burrowed down, passed hairy parcel string thru the slats at the base and tied the roots down. Should give the hoolies a bit more of a challenge eh?

county bridge

tie me cherry tree down sport

work,we loves it!

Quince bushes in the herb garden, and on Fielden wharf, cherrys up the halifax road
outside that shop, you know where i mean!
Part of a grove of nearly 30 cherrys from county bridge down Halfax road to “Stannards Mountain”.

crack commandoes in cunning disguises working in the dead of the early evening, a new ploy to avoid bedtime.

and up thru the health centre, an apple a day keeps you outta there eh!

Not to mention the 60 currant bushes and raspberry canes.

Where next?

you know where!

There is a growing database on the orchard and planting maps, they will appear on here in due course. If you planted a tree you should be on it. So get ready to stand to attention adjacent to tree, looking after, and picking, for the purpose of!!

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14 Feb

The First Incredible Edible Planting day was a fantastic success with 100 hard working people turning out to Harley Wood on a drizzly cold February morning.

We planted 76 trees and 90 fruit bushes.

Huge thanks to all who attended, our supporters, Probation services for the preparation work CMBC for the land and CFFC for funding trees materials and tools.

Planting Day – Saturday 14th February & Financed this project ******************************************************************** Love those fruit trees! Orchard Planting at Harley Wood. Meet at 10am on the field. All day event. Bring packed lunch, wellies, waterproof clothes and spade!! Evening Celebration Tea at 6pm in tent!!

Park on Burnley Road, opposite MG Caravans, and walk up Stoney Royd Lane.

******************************************************************** Tuesday 10th Feb

And here be the first delivery! from FP Mathews in Worcestershire, with this girt big truck and chirpy helpfull driver!

****************************************************************** Sunday Feb 8th

Im expecting two huge deliveries this week, from FP Mathews and RV Rogers,
The breakdown (including what is already here).

Cherries x 50
Apple x 146
Plum x 13
Nut x10
Pear x 10

Fruit bushes/canes x280

So its going to be a busy few weeks!

***************************************************************** Saturday Feb 7

Snow.HUH.What is it good for????????

Well after a week of fretting that the snow would stymie the preparation work, I had a wizard thought regarding deer. This morning I went hunting for deer footprints in the snow on Harley Wood and found not one. Thats great news because it means we can dispense with deer netting, four stakes per tree and all that palaver. So ive ordered rabbit protection bands and that will be good enough for the present.

Stuart from probation services and his merry blokes have started digging and back filling planting holes. They have 3 more days on site before the 14th so we are well on the way.

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Tuesday Feb 3rd

Yippee Good News
Calderdale have given the go ahead on orchard site no2. The sloping bank between Woodlands Avenue and what the locals call Dennis’s park. We consulted the residents and had a very positive response.We will leave a 2m wide strip of brambles at the top of the slope for the critters, but that allows space for 20-30 small trees on m26 rootstock which will reach 2-3 metres high maximum.

I now have 80 pot grown trees from David Roeder , about 50/50 m26 and m106, small and medium trees. They are pot grown which gives us great flexibility with planting time, some will go for the HBOS funded schools growing projects and some for planting at the new health centre if and when we get a go ahead on that.

And finally RV rogers of Pickering who will be delivering about 70 bare root trees for Harley wood next week and a bunch of fruit bushes. They have kindly offered some blackcurrant bushes free of charge by way of supporting our “admirable scheme”.
Nice one!

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Friday Jan 30th

Planting Preparation
the problem, bramble city arizona!

Probation service and the Calderdale Community warden service (Paul Creek) have organised bramble clearance on the north side of harley wood in praparation for planting.
The community payback lads have got well stuck in and ive been able to stake out planting spots for 56 trees so far. Hopefully they will be able to do some hole digging too.Here it is after much hard work by the community payback team.

And we’ve put notices at the entrances to explain what is happening.

And here is harley wood in the olden days!courtesy of food memories blog.

13th January 2009

I have ordered bare root trees for delivery the week of 9 February so planting will be on Valentines day 14th Febuary at Harley Wood.

The trees I have ordered are on M106 rootstocks, medium sized trees 3-4 metres tall and should fruit in 4 years. Mostly apple but pear, plum, and hazelnut too. I have also ordered rubarb crowns, several varieties, currant bushes, blueberries cranberries raspberies and lingonberries, all of which should do well on our acid soil and wet climate. The nursery I have used is our nearest fruit specialist, R.V. Rogers in Pickering and all the trees I have picked are recommended as suitable for the north by the northern fruit group. I also have some trees from David Roeder in Huddersfield and hope to get some more. Oh and cider apples, ooh arr!

From another nursery I have ordered rootstocks of another variety called M111 which is more vigorous and able to cope with wet ground and poor soils, we can use them to learn grafting and also produce more trees.

I have been to LBS in colne who are a horticultural equipment wholesaler and bought 1.2M high netting to protect from rabbits deer etc, soft tree ties and staples to hold the netting down.

I have yet to order cherry trees,they need to be pot grown because we need a root ball to anchor them down in planters in the town centre. Also a fantastic crab apple, Red Sentinel, spotted at Harlow Carr with bright red cherry like fruits and a fantastic flavour for crab apple cherry. And bush quinces for the herb gardens fruit and flowers. Oh and sweet chestnuts.

December 1st 2008

Well, we heard that we have the funding from CFFC for the orchard last week, I’ve written to them to accept the grant and confirm a few details Re: communicating with other groups, procedures for safe working and publicity, they are happy and the dosh will be with us shortly.

This morning I met with Paul Creek a CMBC community warden who is arranging to have some help on ground clearance from the young offenders team. We may involve them in further aspects of the project if it goes well.

I have an expert advisor, Phillip Rainford from the Northern Fruit Group coming to visit tomorrow to look at our planting sites and advise, I will also take him to see Eddy Edwards orchard in Eastwood so he can assess the growth of some established trees.

On Sunday Helena and I took some cider apple tree cuttings to David Roeders orchard in Huddersfield and spent the afternoon in his kitchen receiving a grafting tutorial, we came away with four newly grafted trees, some rootstock’s to plant in the Todmorden tree Nursery (my garden for now!), another 15 baby trees and big smiles.

Issues to be resolved are protection for saplings from rabbits, deer, and vandals, possible additional planting sites and rootstock’s to use.

I’m thinking that the main planting time will be in February, by then we should have ground cleared, and bought event tents and cooking gear so we can make a celebration of it.