Here is Jonathan’s message to the Orchardeers
Greetings All,
There’ll be a volunteer session at Fairfield Orchard, FAUNA and FLORA this
Saturday, December 13th, starting at 10.00am and finishing at 1.00pm or
thereabouts.
Please come along if you possibly can and wear your wellies if have any –
it’s likely to be “a little damp” under foot.
Jobs for this session…
* Remove remaining stumps and roots of self seeded blackthorn in Orchard.
Flatten the ground ready for spring sowing of grass.
* Remove self seeded trees in Alder Pond and Upper Sowerholme.
* Remove two non-native plants in the Orchard.
* Check through the mowing area of the Orchard that there are no more
stumps / obstructions for the mower.
* Assist Keith in the pruning of apple trees.
* Move timber in West Field to the pile by the gate.
* Retrieve and replace tree guards for saplings in west hedge of West Field.
* Plant hedge saplings in hedge by the Orchard / Fauna path crossroad.
* Plant hedge saplings in gaps in east hedge of West Field
* Black bag the elder stumps we have cut back in the east hedge of the
West Field.
* Replant in Sowerholme the reeds we have dug out of the east hedge of
West Field.
* Remove leaves from track between Sunnyside Lane and Orchard.
* Dig out ragwort in Big Meadow.
And that’s your lot from me for this time, and for this year in all
likelihood.
Keep warm and stay safe, folks, and we’ll do it all again next year.
Best wishes,
Jonathan.
Here is what we did
The Saturday volunteer session attracted 15 volunteers on a cold but sunny winter’s morning.
• The remaining stumps and roots were removed from the patch of self seeded blackthorn in the Orchard. The ground was flattened out prior to grass seeding in the spring.
• Those parts of the Orchard mowing area with a potential for stumps and obstacles were double checked so as not to damage the mower.
• The hedge near the Orchard / Fauna crossroad was cleared on bramble and extra saplings planted.
• The saplings planted in the lane going north from the Orchard were tidied with treeguards and canes replaced and straightened.
• Two non-native plants were removed from the Orchard
• A start was made in clearing self seeded thorns near the middle Orchard entrance ready for the Wassailing bonfire.
• Some of the self-seeded ash in Upper Sowerholme were dug out. More to do.
• The self-seeded alder near Alder Pond were dug out and dragged to the fence. Not sure what to do with them as they all have healthy root balls. Any ideas for where alder might go?
• The reed roots extracted from the east hedge of the West Field were planted in a marked area in the wet corner of the Hay Meadow. We will check whether these thrive with a view to taking more next year.
• A good proportion of the track from Sunnyside Lane to the Orchard was cleared of leaves. More to do.
• A good start was made to pruning the apple trees.