Planting the first trees..

Thanks to everyone who came along and joined in with the planting on Sunday.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it, and we got the majority of the trees planted; we were a bit hesitant and ramshackle at the start of the day, but we soon got warmed up, and those of us who hadn’t done any planting before soon got the hang of the process.  By the end of the day we had a pretty efficient system going on (the trick is for each person to do a small part of the job – dig the hole, hammer the stake, pour the compost, lay the mulch, prune the tree – and then move on to the next house.  Henry Ford would have been impressed), so next time we’ll be super-speedy!

We’ll do some step-by-step pictures of the planting process soon, for future reference.  Meanwhile, here are some quick snaps of yesterday.  Feel free to send us pictures of your tree in its new home, and we’ll put them up on here.

It was late when we planted the last tree....

Planting Day – Sunday 28th February

The trees have been ordered now, and are being delivered on Friday. Volunteers are coming forward to help with the planting – more are welcome! – and refreshments have been ordered from Veggies catering. Our starting point for the day will be the Sumac Centre garden, on Gladstone Street: the volunteers will be put into groups, given a list of addresses, some trees, some tools, and a wheelbarrow full of compost, and sent on their way. There’ll be a quick demonstration of how best to plant a tree, and lots of help on hand throughout the day. It will almost certainly be a lot of fun!
Get in touch if you’d like to help – our contact details are on the ‘About’ page.
We’ll put photos of the big day up on here next week.

Welcome to the Forest Fields Orchard Project!

We aim to create a community orchard spread across the private gardens and school grounds of Forest Fields – and beyond. We’re just getting started with the planting of 100 fruit trees; this blog will tell the story of how we get on in the years to come, as well as offering information and advice to everyone looking after a tree. Send us your comments and questions and suggestions and advice – and if you’re one of the people who’ve planted a Forest Fields Orchard tree then send us photos of your tree as it grows, and, eventually, photos of the fruit you harvest…