The Orchards

They are planted at the East end of the park near the main car park. The community orchards have becomes a valuable asset to the park and its visitors.

Visitors are invited to pick a piece of fruit as they’re walking past and enjoy!

For information on what is planted in each please scroll down to each orchard section.

To see all the jobs the volunteers have done in the orchards over the years please scroll to the bottom of this page.

Listed below are the varieties chosen and a planting plan for the community orchard.

The young trees were purchased from the East of England Apples & Orchards Project nursery, an organisation which is dedicated to the restoration of our counties orchards.

The young Apple trees are grafted onto a root stock, referred to as one or two letter M’s (these refer to Malling and Merton the research nurseries that developed the rootstocks) and a number which will refer to the final height and vigour of the grafted tree. Our Apples are on MM106 this will give the trees good support with no need for a permanent stake, and a final height of around 10 to 12ft, the Pears are on Quince A Stock, and the Cherries on Colt Stock.

The Cherry trees, a mix of East Anglia varieties, will be planted outside the main orchard to create an area to picnic and play and you may also enjoy the fruit if you can get to it before the Birds!

To ensure successful pollination and a good crop, varieties have been selected with suitable flowering periods. Apple varieties grow at different rates but all should start to fruit within three years, the Pear’s will fruit a little later.

The oldest Essex dessert apple is D’Arcy spice 1785 and culinary apple Dr. Harvey dates back to 1629. With such enchanting names who could resist the temptation to try these forgotten fruits?

The trees have been planted and staked and a soil improver added which is a mix of recycled compost, grit, and a slow release fertiliser.

Watering and formative pruning in their first few years will give the fruiting tree a good structured frame and on going pruning thereafter will ensure a good crop and a healthy happy tree.

Thank you! To the Friends members who helped with planting on a cold December morning, and also to Bruce Read who generously shared his
knowledge of fruit trees.

The Orchard and surrounding park is yours to enjoy, and we look forward to sharing with you many bountiful Harvests!

Kind Regards,
Richard Bond.