I was inspired to write about dog-friendly planting because many of the orchards and forest gardens we work with at The Orchard Project are open to the public. When visiting a community greenspace, often the first people you meet are dog walkers, who visit regularly. They may support their local orchard or forest garden but may feel wary of losing precious open space where their dog can exercise. So, it’s good to be able to offer them some reassurance that new orchards or forest gardens will be safe for their dog.   Photo by Miamo302 via Pexels. When we design community spa ..read more

I’ve always had a soft spot for the weirder side of wildlife. As a child, I was obsessed with insects and founded my exclusive club, ‘The Weed Trust’, in an attempt to seek justice on behalf of this much-maligned group of plants. Although I was completely mortified at the time, the fact that my first and only primary school detention was given to me for stroking bumblebees is now tale I tell with pride.  It’ll probably come as no surprise that in recent years I’ve made it my mission to champion and help protect many of our planet’s slightly more peculiar inhabitants – from orchids, bats ..read more

All of us at The Orchard Project greatly appreciate supporters who raise funds for our charity. So when Harvey Kirchgaesser got in touch to say he wanted to fundraise for The Orchard Project by running the Paris Marathon this year, we were delighted! We enjoyed following along on his journey so much that we asked him to share about it with you in a blog post.  The following was kindly written for us by Harvey:  Running the Paris Marathon to support The Orchard Project I’m excited to share my journey preparing for and running the Paris Marathon in support of The Orchard Project. As a ..read more

Before I started working at The Orchard Project as the training manager in 2016, I set up a community forest garden in London called Edible Landscapes London (ELL). That was back in 2010. I’ve been reflecting on how that project has evolved over time in the hope that it will inspire anyone else considering setting up a community forest garden. Part of the ELL site in 2010, and two years later The aim of the project changed over time. Originally, we just wanted to propagate fruit trees so that the local transition group would have a good supply of trees for its community plantings. But then a ..read more

Pomology – the study of fruit, fruit growing and orchard management techniques – has resulted in some wonderfully informative and fascinating works of literature that are also truly beautiful works of art. I’m Darren Turpin, an amateur pomologist, fruit grower, orchard geek and book nerd. For the past few years, I’ve researched various aspects of historical orchard lore, becoming well acquainted with various online archives and the digitised treasures within. There are some absolute gems to be found, if you know where to look. Many date to the golden age of pomology in the nineteenth century ..read more

My work with trees hasn’t really involved fruit trees for food production. Mostly it has focused on safety or development, and having an abundance of fruit dropping onto the highway every year isn’t normally celebrated. The closest I had got was monitoring one of Newton’s apple trees at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, or listening to people’s complaints about blossoms messing up their driveway. My interest in orchards really took off when I moved into a house that backs on to a neglected veteran orchard and from that I started to help a group in the village set up a community ..read more

As our gardens, orchards and hedges are filled with more bird songs there is a sense that Spring is almost here! The territorial songs are beginning to be heard and the battle songs of birds seeking to find a mate are becoming more frequent. On the outskirts of Edinburgh, I’ve recently heard the melancholic notes of a mistle thrush, whose song sounds to me a bit like a bubbling kettle on the boil. Some refer to the mistle thrush as a ‘boring blackbird’, due to its song and its use of minor notes. It is also known as a ’storm cock’ and can be found singing on the tops of trees, assessing t ..read more

As winter rolls around and our fruit trees fall dormant once again, we are reminded of our orchard heritage. For centuries, especially in the South-West of England, communities would gather in their local orchard for the Wassail. The word ‘Wassail’ comes from the Anglo Saxon toast ‘waes hael’ – meaning ‘be well’ or ‘be in good health’. This ceremony promotes the health of the trees and encourages a bountiful harvest, traditionally taking place around the old Twelfth Night (January 17). In order to scare away evil spirits and to invigorate the trees, those celebrating the Wassail sing, play ..read more

At the turning of the year, I will step down as Chair of The Orchard Project. I’ve enjoyed nine years on the Board, the length of time it takes many orchard trees to mature and produce a reliable crop. This perfectly reflects the growth and maturing I have witnessed in my nine years with The Orchard Project. I joined the Board of an organisation packed full of passion, energy, ideas and small roots, like a young sapling. Now, nine years on, we engage with our ecosystem with insight and experience. The passion remains undimmed, but we are confident in our unique contribution to the world.  ..read more

Picture an orchard: what do you see? Most likely, you’ll see fruit-laden trees. But what is growing below and between the trees? And what is living in and around the them? Recent research conducted at the University of Reading delved into the impact of growing wildflowers beneath apple trees on the insect population and how it influenced the apple crop. The insect community was compared within two different types of vegetation beneath the trees: a wildflower strip and a regularly mowed grass strip. Why wildflowers? The wildflower strips demonstrated significant advantages for ‘beneficial’ in ..read more