500 Barrows of Woodchip Later

Our Orchard is ready for the Year Ahead

Martin with our final trailer load of woodchip for the winter

This winter has been one of barrowing lots of lovely woodchip. Fifteen trailer loads, to be precise—and with over 30 wheelbarrow loads to each trailer, that’s a whopping 500 barrow loads of woodchip shifted!  Certainly a job to keep us warm even on the coldest of days.

Most of the woodchip has been used for our paths—the main routes to the polytunnels and the smaller paths between the growing beds—and in a wet winter like the one we are experiencing, this makes life a lot more pleasant underfoot. But the 39 trees in our orchard get a fair measure too: two barrow loads per tree. There are several reasons why woodchip is so good in orchards. Firstly, it breaks down slowly, feeding soil fungi and encouraging a fungal-dominant soil—exactly what apple trees prefer. Secondly, decomposing woodchip attracts earthworms, which we all love, as they help to create healthy soil by improving aeration and contributing their nutrient-rich wormcasts. Thirdly, woodchip helps to conserve soil moisture under the trees during dry spells, and finally, it suppresses weeds.

In addition to all that woodchipping, all the trees have been pruned—always a winter job for apple and pear trees — and staked where necessary to stop them toppling over (see picture at bottom of page). With the wet winters of late, our trees are prone to tipping, as waterlogged ground offers less support to the roots, and the site is very exposed to the predominant south-westerly winds .

It has taken several weeks of steady work—helped along by the fabulous support of volunteers on our volunteer day—but all that effort has paid off. The orchard is looking extremely neat and tidy and ready - fingers crossed - for what we hope will be another generous year of fruit.

Jacob filling up barrows with woodchip

Supported apple tree