Steyning Community Orchard

Orchards are an important wildlife resource as they are generally formed of several different habitats such as the trees themselves, grassland, scrub and hedgerows. This variety makes them able to support a large number of animals and plants.

By May, the orchard trees should all be in blossom and this is a great month to start getting outside and enjoying nature. At this time, new leaves are appearing on trees and the summer migrant birds such as cuckoos, swift, swallows and nightingales have arrived. Grasses and flowers are growing well and May is the time to see our native Bluebells in nearby woods. With all the flowering plants, invertebrates such as bees and butterflies are abundant and you should be able to spot a few whether you are in your garden, on grassland, woods or in our Community Orchard! We’d love to know what you have seen in the Community Orchard – please email any photos or wildlife you have spotted to us at our email address at the bottom of this article.

Current Projects
Recipe Collection
Our latest project is looking for your recipesthat use orchard fruits which we will make available for everyone on our website. We’re interested in recipes for any kind of fruit and they can be for anything from cakes and puddings to jams and chutneys. Of particular interest are Steyning and Sussex recipes and ones that have been handed down through your family. We’re also interested in hearing any stories and anecdotes associated with the recipes and photos of the finished article. We hope this will inspire you to get cooking and using our delicious local produce! Please send any recipes to steyningorchard@gmail

Orchard Map and Mistletoe
Our orchard mapis growing all the time and so far we have 45 different sites registered with 43 different varieties of apples. We are still adding to it though, so if you want to let us know about your trees, just drop us an email with the trees and varieties (if you know them). We’ve sown mistletoe on the SCO trees and are waiting for some signs of growth but are also interested in knowing if you have any mistletoe your fruit trees.

Recent events
Our newest orchard, the Steyning Downland Scheme & SCO Children’s Orchard and Wild Play Area has got underway with the first three trees planted on the on 13thMarch in the Big Picnic Field. Three different varieties of apple were planted all with different tastes, colour and ripening season but all on dwarf root stocks, making them easy for children to reach!

Upcoming events
Monday 29thMay: Steyning May Fair where we will have a stall on the High Street
Saturday 7thOctober: Apple Day
You can email us at steyningorchard@gmail.com