Another day in the orchard

This time we were planting tree’s.

There is nothing as good for your spirits as planting a tree, especially if its an apple tree. And if its a whole new orchard, well it doesn’t get much better.

Last week we planted the new orchard at the front of the basecamp. 18 tree’s have gone in, more will follow over the next couple of years. For this orchard we have gone for a mix of traditional and modern varieties as well as trying to get varieties that will be ready at different times so we have a long fuiting season.

Two of my favourites have been planted in this orchard, Orleans Rainette and Cornish Gilliflower. One for flavour and one because you can’t forget your roots. I was really pleased when these were two of the trees that attracted a sponsor, I hope they mean something to their sponsors too. We still have tree’s available for sponsorship if  anyone has the means, all of the money raised goes straight to the Speckled Wood project.

This was the gilliflower going in. Thanks very much to Lesley up at the stables on Lynchmere Ridge for donating a trailer full of well rotted horse manure to ensure they get the best possible start in life.

They all have good solid tree cages to protect them from browsing damage, and have biodegradable mulch matts to ensure that the water in the soil goes to the tree rather than to the grass growing around its base. We also put gaurds on them to prevent rabbits from nibbling the bark.

The tree’s look so small and delicate when they go in, not much more than twigs really, you can barely see them in the tree cages above. They are pretty tough little things though, and it wont take long for them to start to grow. I should think we will see the first of the fruit from them in three or four years time.

Willow had a pretty good day too, practising on the sheep.

If you are interested in locally produced food and live not too far away the Landshare group of Transition Town Haslemere have a meeting on 9th March at 7.30pm in The Georgian in the High Street. New members are needed for a community vegetable garden at Roundhurst on the slopes of Black Down, why not come along and find out more. Its a stunning location and a really nice garden, the group is very freindly and there is loads of space for people to grow all sorts of interesting veg. You can find out more at http://transitionhaslemere.org/newsite/participate/landshare-group or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Haslemere-community-veg-growers/178983752134922

A visit to Partridge Green

This morning we have been over to Partridge Green to meet Ben Law at the site of one of his current projects. There were a few particular details we needed to look at that were relevant to the building we are working with him on, but also the build there is at an interesting stage and it was a chance to see some of what we are letting ourselves in for.

This building has a roof made of sawn cedar shingles, which lends a different feel from the split chestnut we will be using, I suspect our roof will have a much more rustic look. Ben and his team are currently working on the interior of this building, constructing the straw bale walls.

They are great insulation, and give a really nice feel to the finished walls when plastered over, one of the details I particularly like in these buildings are the big window seat alcoves which fit into the straw bale walls.

The dimensions of the walls and the openings in them are all based around the dimensions of bales of straw, meaning that the bales should slot nice and easily into place. The bales are held together with sweet chestnut spikes as well as being firmly held in place between the main frame and the exterior studwork.

Here you can see where the bales have almost reached the roof, at this point sheepswool takes over as the insulation, filling the spaces between the rafters.

It was really interesting to see another of Ben’s buildings taking shape, it also make me think about the timber we have been working with and where it will be going in our building.

On the way back the skies started to clear on what has been an otherwise pretty grey day and I couldn’t resist stopping off at one of our coppice Woodlands at Roundhurst Common on the edge of Black Down. Towards the north of the woods there are the remains of a tiny old cottage, and spreading out from what may well once have been part of its garden is one of the prettiest patches of snowdrops I know of in the area. Just as I suspected the first few flowers had started to open.

In a couple of weeks time there will be the most fantastic carpet of snowdrops in this corner of the wood.

Just round the corner at Roundhurst Farm a community vegetable garden has been established by a group from Transition Town Haslemere. Its a beautiful place to go and spend a bit of time and the project is looking for more people to get involved,  if you live locally and would like to have a go at growing your own veg you can find out more at : http://transitionhaslemere.org/newsite/participate/landshare-group