CALOW COMMUNITY ORCHARD

At long last our first major community garden project got off the ground last month. Calow Parish Council has leased, on behalf of the Garden Group, the piece of land between Lawn Villas & Church Street. This land used to be allotments but has been an empty green space for years. Now there are 12 apple trees planted which we hope will grow and thrive to be of use to anyone who fancies an organic apple.

The trees are available for adoption (like the cherry trees on Eastwood Park). Please email me if you would like one (at time of writing there are 10, as two have already been adopted).

The types of trees are a mixture of cookers & eaters as follows:

Bramley's Seedling (malus domestica Bramley)

Braeburn (malus domestica Braeburn)

Lord Lambourne (malus domestica Lord Lambourne)

Ellison's Orange (malus domestica Ellison's Orange)

Ashmead's Kernel (malus domestica Ashmead's Kernel)

Howgate Wonder (malus domestica Howgate Wonder)

James Grieve (malus domestica James Grieve)

Jonagold (malus domestica Jonagold)

Jupiter (malus domestica Jupiter)

Kidd's Orange Red (malus domestica Kidd's Orange Red)

Sunset (malus domestica Sunset)

Worcester Pearmain (malus domestica Worcester Permain)

We hope to develop the land so that it becomes an area for wildlife, as well as somewhere to watch the bees buzz and the apples grow.

Sadly, before I've even managed to finish writing this, I've heard that some of the trees have been damaged (see photo below). This, along with the fact, that one of the orchard signs was torn down, stamped on and bent before the trees were even planted and you may wonder why the Garden Group, and the Parish Council (all volunteers) even bother?

I can't answer for everyone, but I'll tell why I do:

I do it because I want Calow to be a lovely place for everyone who lives and visits here to enjoy.

I do it for the young lad who was walking his dog while the orchard was being planted, and immediately stopped to help us.

I do it for the neighbour who came out and helped us water the trees in.

I do it for the couple who approached the Garden Group while we were meeting in the White Hart. They thanked us "for everything we're doing" and donated £20.

Yep, that's why.

suecalow246@gmail.com