With 70 new trees and 20 new varieties being planted as well as proper maintenance on the existing trees the orchard is begining to look like a proper orchard. A good crop of cooking apples has been harvested and this eyars damsons have been fantastic. plentiful and sweet.

A few more healthy and good fruiting apple seedlings have been found as well as a rather large shoot from below a pear graft on an old hassel pear tree. The fruit is sweeter, larger and keeps longer so I intend to systematically reduce the hassel pear until the root stock variety takes over. I've trialed some in a local fruit shop to see if tehy sell. if not it made fantastic juice which now I have access to a pasturizer I can look at selling fresh 100% apple and pear juice.

Apple and Pear Trial Pressings.

2009 also saw the first grafting experiment. 10 plum and 10 apple. double grafts were applied to try and increase success rates.

 Cobnut (Hazel nut) Plat.

With the abundance of wild hazel nut trees and bushes around I've decided to plant a comersial cobnut nut plat (nut orchard). Hazel and cobnut blossom is wind polinated so the recommened pattern for a small plat is grouped tigether in a square or circle rather than a row to make the most of any wind which blows through the trees. I've opted for a circle. The other consideration when palnting Hazel or Cobnut trees is squirels.  If you have any sort of squirel population then the tradional method of growing large bushes won't work. the terees will eb striped of any fruit in a matter of days. The soultion is to grow them at least 3 metres from otehr trees. This way they can't jump onto the connut trees and you ahve to grow them as a standard style fruit tree. 1 central trunk at least 2 metres high. You then have to put a metre tube round teh trunk each year for a few montsh to prevent the squirels from climbing up the trunk and gaining access to your crop. As you see my trees have a it to go so we'll see if it works in a few years time.