YESTERDAY’s Apple Wassailing was not the last of the Community Orchard action!
On Saturday 10th February, come along and help us plant new fruit trees, and find out more about the orchard group (you don’t need to be a member, feel free to come and help out as a one-off). No experience necessary – it’s a great chance to learn. Tools and gloves provided.
Sat 10th February, 11am – 1pm
Meet at green portacabin through the gate at the back of the Toby Carvery car park.
A community focused, environmental and wellbeing initiative led by Scotmid, is giving Edinburgh locals the chance to nurture and grow their own fresh fruit for free.
Scotmid is encouraging groups in Edinburgh to apply for £200 to purchase fruit trees or bushes to plant in a publicly accessible area, as part of its already highly successful, Scotland-wide Community Orchard campaign.
The campaign, created to encourage people to work together, increase physical activity and benefit the local environment, has spread its roots far and wide since launching earlier this year, with more than 70 orchards having been planted in sites up and down the country.
The retailer is now urging those in Edinburgh to apply, in a bid to complete Scotmid’s ambition to have a community orchard close to every Scotmid store.
Lynne Ogg, Communities Manager at Scotmid, said: “It has been so encouraging watching communities come together to plant a whole host of fruit trees and bushes. Some of our groups have already spotted their first fruit and we can’t wait to hear how good they taste!
“Not only is this a fun way to get together with your local community but it’s also a really easy way to get outside and enjoy your local environment – we would love for more communities to benefit from this initiative.”
Seeding success: Scotmid’s Winchburgh Community Orchard – Case Study
Orchards offer volunteering opportunities throughout the year, as well as the chance to learn new skills, create habitats for wildlife and produce an array of edible produce.
Since securing the Scotmid Community Orchard grant, the Winchburgh Community Growing Group has extended its community growing space.
The West Lothian based group started in 2018, with 50 planters across the village. By 2022, it had grown and moved to a 1.5acre site in Auldcathie Park which includes trees, planters, a community cabin and a kids zone.
The community growing space used Scotmid’s Community Orchard funding to purchase and plant eight Braeburn apple trees. Community volunteers will grow fruit to eat, cook and turn into juices.
Students from SRUC Oatridge college and local volunteers have been responsible for the planting and maintenance of the orchard, which is an open community space that hosts regular free growing and community events.
The orchard trees were planted close to Winchburgh’s Scotmid store, in a zone designed for wildlife and growing. Over 80 people in the community have benefitted from the additional trees from the Community Orchard initiative, with volunteers grafting, pruning and taking care of them for the benefit of the wider community.
John West from Winchburgh Community Growing Group, said:“The funding from Scotmid has helped us to purchase and plant eight apple trees which will provide Winchburgh locals with apples for years to come.
“As much as we are all excited to see the apples grow, it’s also been really rewarding to see members of the community work together to care for the orchard – now we can’t wait to try our first apple crumble!”
July is a beautiful month for enjoying the garden. Traditionally the hottest month of the year in the UK, July is all about spending time in the garden and enjoying your outdoor space.
When it comes to maintaining the garden, this month is all about keeping on top of your blooms, nurturing your plants, and providing your garden with that extra bit of TLC that it needs to prevent damage or dryness.
Expert gardener Fiona Jenkins at MyJobQuote.co.uk has a list of top tips on what you need to do in your garden during the month of July. Take a look at the list below:
Get The Watering Just Right
With July being typically the hottest month, watering is key. Your plants will be very thirsty at this time and may be prone to drying out. With this in mind, you want to make sure you maintain your beautiful blooms by regularly watering your container plants. Add a balanced liquid fertiliser every couple of weeks, as this will help to encourage continual flowering and strong, healthy growth. Remove all dead flowers as soon as you notice them to encourage new growth.
You also need to remember to water your shrubs, trees, and perennials. Water the base of the plant and avoid watering the leaves, as the leaves won’t absorb water. Wet leaves can encourage fungal diseases, which is why you must always aim to water the base of the plants.
Aim to water your plants first thing in the morning, as this is when the sun rises, and the plants will begin using the water.
Thin Out Your Fruit Trees
In the month of July, you may find that your fruit trees can abundantly over-produce due to the optimal conditions. Large levels of heavy fruits on branches can result in a final crop of much smaller fruits due to the high demand for the tree’s resources and the limited sunlight that is blocked by the large fruit.
This month, you want to focus on thinning out your crops by removing all of the damaged or excess fruits. This will enable the tree to develop a much more even and more appealing crop of fruits.
Show Your Lawn Some Love
During the summer months, everything in the garden grows very quickly. This means you’ll need to make some extra effort to mow the lawn. Aim to mow your lawn once a week to keep it in good shape. It’s also important to keep on top of watering your lawn regularly to prevent it from drying out and turning brown. If the ground becomes dry, gently spike it before watering to allow the moisture to penetrate easily.
Reduce the cutting height of your lawn during hot weather, as this can also help to prevent the lawn from drying out. Keeping your grass blades slightly higher can help the grass thrive and can prevent it from becoming damaged by the additional summer wear.
Take Cuttings From Perennials
When it comes to perennials, it’s important to take cuttings to encourage new growth. Place supports around your tall perennials to prevent any damage from wind, rain, or other typical British weather phenomena.
If you have any tender perennials in your garden, such as Fuchsias, you can use the cuttings for propagating. These perennials are best propagated from cuttings. Cuttings should be taken from the new growth for the season. You can either pot the plants now or keep hold of your cuttings until next spring. If you pot the plants now, they will have enough time to develop a sufficient root system so that they can survive through the winter months.
Get a Head Start on Sowing
If you want to be one step ahead with your gardening routine, consider beginning some of your sowing now. Biennials such as wallflowers, forget-me-nots, and foxgloves can be sown now and ready for planting in autumn. This will provide you with a stunning display next spring.
Sow your plants into large seed trays or, alternatively, a dedicated seed bed. After that, when the seedlings are large enough to handle, you can separate them.
You can also sow late summer and winter crops now, such as carrots, cabbages, and leeks. In addition, you can continue to sow radishes, lettuce, and beetroot at this time.
Check Plant Supports
During this month, you should spend some time inspecting your climbing plants to ensure they are able to handle strong winds and torrential rain. If you think your plants need new or additional support, now is the time to take care of that.
The typical British weather can put a considerable amount of pressure on your garden. It’s much easier to deal with this now than to wait until late summer.
Now is also a time for checking for weeds in flowerbeds, as weeds can affect your plants. It’s much easier to deal with weeds now while the weather is good.
