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Steyning Community Orchard - June 16 News



Why not consider planting a small apple, cherry or pear in a flower border?  You'll have an attractive display of blossom in the spring, followed by edible fruits in the summer and autumn.  Under plant with bulbs and shade loving plants.   Just remember to choose one of the smaller or dwarf rootstocks so that your tree doesn't get too tall.

Alternatively, try training your tree along a fence or a wall.  Peaches, nectarines and figs are ideal on a sunny south facing wall.  Whereas apples and pears will thrive on east and west facing walls.  There are a whole range of space saving shapes to think about.

The term cordon simply refers to a single stem with short sideshoots (the fruiting spurs) and is usually a single stem grown at an angle of about 45° to the ground and supported on a post and wire system.  Suitable for apples and pears as well as soft fruit like gooseberries and redcurrants.

Espaliers are trained so that the branches come horizontally from the stem, at around 30 cm intervals.  The word espalier is French, and it comes from the Italian spalliera, meaning "something to rest the shoulder (spalla) against."

A fan shape is the main choice for peaches, nectarines, plums and cherries.  The tree is pruned so that two opposite shoots grow from the main stem.  Shoots from these then form the fan.

If you don't have a spare wall another alternative is a stepover.  This is simply a shorten version of an espalier but with only one branch on either side.  These can be used as edging or to create a low hedge.

Established wall trained trees should be summer pruned between July and September  to restrict growth  and to let in light to help the fruit ripen. The light also encourages buds for the following season.

If you don't want to train your own tree there are a number of good nurseries online who will supply you one already in shape.  For anyone with a spare few hours and looking for inspiration, there are some lovely examples of trained trees at West Dean Gardens.

You can find out more about Steyning Community Orchard and keep up to date with the latest activities and plans on our new website at www.steyningcommunityorchard.org 
 
You can also keep up-to-date with our events on our Facebook page:
facebook.com/steyningcommunityorchard


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