First Harvest

2 very special apples; Laxton's Superb (left) and Irish Peach, the very first apple crop of Lowick Community Orchard. They were a nice surprise, hidden amongst the branches of the very small young trees. There are only a handful of tiny apples... but it's a start!

Bees

Lowick Community Orchard and Lowick in Bloom, with support from a Sustainable Development Fund Grant, have bought a community bee hive and bee keeping equipment to help local people learn about bee keeping. Bees will play an important role in pollinating our orchard, and we've under-sown the trees with a grass full of wildflowers which will provide a vital source of nectar and pollen for the new bees.

The Lowick Community Hive is one of three hives at Hunting Hall Farm. The second hive belongs to Philip, a local bee keeper, who has kindly agreed to help us look after our bees. The third is Tom’s 50th birthday present. We're really excited about the new apiary! A huge thank you for the grant, Northumberland Coast AONB SDF!

The community bee hive and Tom's hive came in a kit - so here he is making them in the old tractor house.

Philip at the apiary at Hunting Hall :)

Calming the new bees in the travel box with a smoker

The new bees on a frame that will be put inside the brood box (the big box on the bottom of the hive).

This is the brood box here the bees will breed and live.

Philip putting the lid on the brood box. Once it becomes full and the bees are well established and starting to make honey, another, smaller box will be added on top called a 'super'. The super is where the honey is stored by the bees that we can harvest.

Philip feeding his new bees with a sugar solution to keep them going until they can make enough honey to feed themselves.

The orchard in early summer

We've let the grass grow long between the trees because it is full of wildflowers.

The nasturtiums and borage we've planted in the raised beds are growing well

 A Medlar flower

We're delighted that Lowick in Bloom has received a Sustainable Development Fund Grant to purchase a community bee hive. We'll put this in a field close to the orchard, and hopefully the bees will benefit from the clover, birdsfoot trefoil and oxeye daises in the orchard grass. If you would like to learn a little about bee keeping, please come along to one of our sessions at the hive - we'll have bee suits and all the necessary equipment. Contact Karen Burn for further information 01289 388652

Spring Work in the Orchard

We've been hard at work in the orchard recently, ready to welcome the Northumbria in Bloom judges.

Tom's cut the grass with the tractor and the used the lawn mower to trim the edges of the paths. He's also strimmed around all the signs.

Here's the new ramp to the belvedere. It still needs the footpath taken to its edge. At the moment wheelchair users have to do a bit of 'off-roading' to get to it!

We've 112 trees now - this is looking down the row of  M106 apples

keeping the orchard paths free of weeds is still a challenge. Here's Tom flame weeding (again). It keeps his wellies warm!

This smart new donations box was an antique letter box. It's been mended, painted and attached to the belevere with a brass plaque. We're very grateful to Cheryl Grieve for the donation which made the restoration possible - we had £4 in it last week, which will go towards the gas for flame weeding the paths :)

The herb beds

It's the judging for Northumbria in Bloom on the 29th of April, so I've been tidying up the orchard herb beds. I planted nasturtiums, which is said to deter codling moth... not that we have any fruit yet, but it's good to be prepared :)

I added an organic compost to the herb bed soil.

The new belvedere ramp

 and donation box

Alice walked up to join me. It's not easy digging invasive mint out of a raised bed!

The medlar in bud

Help from 1st Flodden Cubs

It was a cold, icy day on the 2nd of February when 1st Flodden Cubs joined us in the orchard to work on their Conservation Badge. The Cubs enthusiastically entered into a discussion about the fruit in the orchard, and looked at how we were preserving old heritage varieties. Next, the Cubs played a game to help them learn some of the interesting histories of our trees - and a lot of running around warmed us all up. Well done to the Cherries team who were first with their answers!

The Cubs donned gloves and, armed with plastic bags, they carried out a litter pick in the orchard. They were a great help collecting the rubbish that blows under the roadside hedge. Where does it all come from?!

Thank you for your visit, 1st Flodden - you are a fantastic team! Good luck with the rest of the badge!

Wassailing in Lowick Community Orchard

We went Wassailing in Lowick Community Orchard on the 8th of January. The Wassail King (otherwise known as Adam Fletcher) was wonderful, speaking in dramatic verse to welcome the large crowd of Wassailers, encouraging the them to bless the orchard trees and frighten away evil spirits. After the event we returned to the Piggery Farm Resource Centre at Hunting Hall where the Rag Bag Morris Dancers gave us some fantastic entertainment and even got some of us to join in the dancing. Finally we shared a lovely supper. A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this such a successful event. We've got to do it again next year - let it be the start of a great tradition. I had a fantastic night!!!

King and Queen of the Wassail blessed the trees and encouraged them to bear a good autumn crop, by sprinkling them with cider from the Wassail bowl.

The Wassail King in fine voice, sang a Wassail song, accompanied by his Wassail Queen on Northumbrian smallpipes. A local electrician lent us the coloured lights, which added to the drama of the event.

The Wassailers were invited to dip pieces of toast in to the Wassail bowl and then hang the toast from the orchard trees, to encourage them to crop in the coming year. There are still bits of string and soggy bread dangling all over the orchard :S

To finish our Wassail, we had taken along lots of pots and pans, drums and whistles, and made a terrible noise to frighten away any evil spirits lurking in the trees.

Back at the Piggery, the Rag Bag Morris Dancers entertained us.

Here's a video of the Wassailers joining the dancers - it was great fun! Thank you so much for everyone's help and support.

Wassailing

Join our Wassail in Lowick Community Orchard

on Tuesday 8th January 2013 at 6 p.m. 

The King and Queen of the Wassail will lead us as we encourage our new orchard trees to bear fruit.

Afterwards we’ll return to Hunting Hall Farm for entertainment from the Ragbag Morris Dancers, followed by a shared supper.

Please bring along a pots and pans, whistles and drums (anything that makes a noise), a torch, a plate of food for a shared supper, and be prepared to join in the fun.

A tremendous event for all ages!

If you hope to come, it would help if you could let us know. Please contact:

Karen Burn, Hunting Hall, 01289 388652

kburn.huntinghall@btinternet.com