Green Lane Community Orchard Planting
Months of preparation for a new community orchard culminated yesterday with participants - expertly schooled by the Orchard Project - planting trees and fruit bushes. After digging suitable holes, tree roots were dipped into a mycorrhizal application of beneficial fungi designed to colonise the roots and create an early mycelial network within the soil, increasing nutrient and water uptake. The trees were surrounded in protective cages and three fruit bushes - a gooseberry, red currant, white currant or a black currant - were planted around the base. Photo A. Irving Amongst the trees planted were: a cider apple Tremlex bitter - and apples Newton Wonder , Cor Blimey, cherry Merton Glory and Lapins , a fig, and a medlar var: Nottingham; a self fertile tree, the fruit of which, should be harvested during October. Pomegranate is becoming more popular in our changing climate and ours was covered with a sheet to protect from the frost during the...