More manure around the trees

I have added more manure to about 15 trees today that leaves only another 20 or so remaining. It was hard work. Today I started on the trees the furthest away from the manure and am now coming closer to the manure pile. I would estimate it can take up to 20 minutes to put the manure on 1 tree. The walk from one end of the orchard to the other is more than 250 meters. It was cold and as usual I was getting the work done on my own.

I started with wax jacket on and by the end of the day I was in a tee shirt piling manure into the wheelbarrow with a fork and then pushing the wheel barrow to the other end and then spreading it out around the tree. The manure still smells and its still steaming, much of the straw has detoriorated. 

 I must have reduced the pile by more than half and I have enough to complete the remain trees and will later this week try and complete the task, as I'll have  some volunteers, as long as the weather is permitting.

The original manure than I had put around the trees near the entrance is being drawn into the soil but it will probably take a couple more months, I hope. I have also added rabbit and chicken manure to the pile, with some extra straw and hay.

I haven't checked the bee's this week as it been a little too cold.

Trees are asleep and the buds are visible

When I walk around the orchard I can see that all the trees are dormant. Very few trees now have leaves and if they do they have very few. I can see some ladybirds around and the number of birds pottering around is also diminishing.

In truth I don't even see many rabbits at the moment, but the last couple of weeks have been cold and wet. I haven't managed the get all the manure around all the trees and it looks like it will have to be done over the next couple of weeks. I will get it done and now that I have the Christmas break I will spend one of the days to get the job done.

I can see that buds are ready for next year, as the picture shows. The picture is a but blurry but it shows the buds on a cherry tree.

Manure has arrived

The bovine manure has arrived. Yeah

The stuff arrived in the week. I must have more than a couple of tonnes of the stuff. I started loading the wheel barrow as soon as I could. I then spread some around the trees nearest the delivery point and then working outward. I started about 10am on Sunday Morning and by the time I stopped for the day when it was getting dark I had only done 36 wheel barrow loads and still have 53 trees to get done.

I figure all the trees will get at least a 2 wheel barrow loads of the magical muck each. The reason its taking so long is that that I have to fill the wheel barrow then then walk to the tree spread the stuff and then walk back to the heap then on to the next tree which is always further away than the last one from the manure.

I am hoping to complete the task next weekend. Its not as smelly a task as you might imagine, and its easier than I thought it would be.

I did have a couple of other errands to get done and its starts to get dark at 3:30, I'm not sure exactly what time I finished, but I felt that 36 wheelbarrows of manure was a little short. I was hoping to get at least 1 barrow per tree done on the first day.

All the muck only cost £30, which I think is a bargain, and I will be defiantly getting more in.

I have spoken to a couple of other people and I may be getting another couple of tonnes of extremely rotten horse manure soon. This I will have to check to ensure it is rotten, before I put it down and around the trees.

Mushrooms and worms

I am seeing lots more mushrooms around the orchard. I have taken a couple of pictures of some of them and they have been uploaded. I can only presume that most are poisonous, and shouldn't be picked. I was once told only pick and eat mushrooms that grow above head height. That usual means chicken of the wood. The one at the bottom is the most interesting and the most strange.

I am also seeing loads of earthworm casts under the trees, practically under every tree. I think the worms are eating the leaves that have fallen from the trees recently and making the ground and the soil around the trees lovely. I will be putting lots of wood shavings under the trees over the next couple of days and finishing off the tree guards. The wood shavings are to keep the soil warm over the winter months, they will remove some of the nitrogen but as they decompose they will add more organic matter to the soil.

The bees seem fine, last weekend the weather was warm and they were flying in and out they seem to be bringing back pollen that is very bright orange.

Getting ready for tonnes of manure

I spent 4 hours on Thursday weeding. I cleared most of the ground underneath the trees of weeds. The soil is fantastic. When I originally planted many of the trees the soil was hard and sandy and in places it  had clay however working underneath the trees this weekend out I found the soil loose and like lush compost. Much of it will be from the organic matter I have dumped around each tree over the past couple of years but also because of the work earth worms have been doing.

I have put wood shavings underneath most of trees; I have a couple more to do but the manure should arrive during the coming week some time. The manure the wood shavings and the leaves I have been collecting will make a great compost that will feed the trees throughout the next couple of months.

It looks like I am in for a busy weekend but am looking forward to the manure arriving and spreading it around the trees. I know its insane to be pleased that a pile of muck is going to arrive but to me its like I have ordered a meal that the trees are going to love.

Its crazy I know but that's just how it is.

Colours of Autum

The leaves on the trees are now a nice yellow or red, very few still have green leaves which means the sugars in the leaves are heading going back down to the root ball of the trees.

Some of the trees have already lost all the leaves and look barren, though I can see the buds that should open next spring.

I can see the growth over the past year, from the fresh wood and I'm please with the progress. I can see the growth that the trees have made this year and since we planted them more than 3 years ago. Some off the trees are doing really well and perhaps in a couple of years we will have lots of fruit.

I can see lots of mushrooms around the place, though I probably would never pick them. Lots seem to be gathering around the quince  trees. I have displayed a picture of some of the mushrooms, but I have a fair few.

I have checked on the bees as the weather was warm and I could see them buzzing around. They seem happy, they have lots of food and seem to be doing well. They look like they are entering winter well.

Stowe Apple Day

The Midshire Orchard Group had an Apple day over the weekend at the National Trust Gardens in Stowe.

It was a great success, the weather was lovely and they had activities for children to do and as people came to visit the landscape gardens they had to walk past some of the Apple day celebrations, which enticed them in. I would say though some people had come specifically for the Apple day.

People were offered apple juice to try 50p a cup or a taster for free and various apple tree varieties were on sale with varying root stocks as well as cakes and preserves and bottles of juice for sale.

My daughter made a bird feeder, which was a pine cone wrapped in lard and then plunged into various seeds and dried fruit. She also entered the longest peel contest and managed to walk away with three apples and the one she had peeled, which were quickly consumed by me and the kids.

They also had a talk after 3pm which I couldn't stick around for, I'm sure it would have been nice.

They had the usual apple identification. I did see lots of people using the service which was nice to see.

Lots of apples on display mind which was great.

I only wish I could have tried them all and compared them and got other peoples thoughts on them, to see if I could find ones that we could plant in the orchard at some point in the future.

London Honey Show

I visited the London honey show which was a lot more extravagant than the honey shows I have been to. For a start it was on a week day evening and in a nice hotel. The show looked to me to be a success. Lots of people and events and things to see, try and learn. Everyone was approachable and keen to pass on knowledge etc.

The location was at The Lancaster hotel which is between Marble Arch and Notting Hill opposite Hyde Park.

 I attended two lectures, however more were available and then browsed the stands. Seating for the lectures was limited, but worth attending, I had to sit on the floor but it was ok.  

Garden Organic's were around as were Bee Craft and the guy from Omlet selling the bee haus. Lots of people selling memberships to this and that, plus DVD’s and books for sale, including 2 by Celia Davis. You could also by various other bits and bobs.

I entered the tombola and won a honey jar donated by Daylesford Organics. I also saw a couple of celebrities including Charlie Dimmock who looked very glamorous. I tried several honeys’ all were good all of varying colours and subtle taste differences. The lectures were on selling honey and hive byproduct which was interesting but could have been better. The other presentation was on school that has set up a hive on its grounds and is now integrating it into the school curriculum.

All in all, a very nice evening. I did enjoy the complementary nibbles.

Leaves are a falling

Autum is settling in things are beginning to calm down and its visible from the trees, things are moving slowly. Leaves from the trees are starting to change colour and the tree from last week which had bright red leaves has almost no leaves remaining. They seem to have blown away. The energy from the leaves is flowing back down into the ground.

I thought I may have to add more fondant to the bee hives but to my suprise no, they have enough food for probrably more than a week. I could have added the extra foundant on Saturday but with it in place it makes it difficult to check the bees and the brood pattern. Which I like to check, so I'll wait. The final Guards are up and the space for the bees to get into the hives is now very small.

It also seems that they bees are bringing in lots of yellow pollen  back into the hives. I am not sure for how much longer they will be bring in pollen, of course Ivy and some other late and wintering flowering flowers still produce pollen but usually not enough to sustain them over the winter.

Quiet weekend

This week I was dreading going to the Orchard. I went down and checked on the trees all are fine. I can't see any further damage. I then checked on the bees with a friend. The bees are also fine. I have seen much of the fondant that I put into the hive has been taken down and consumed. I have put guards on the hives put couldn't make the entrance smaller. The hive blocks I had taken down were a little large, but I have found the correct ones. That’s a job for Saturday next week.

I looked at the damaged from last week and well in truth I can only hope that in time the trees will grow true and strong. It would be nice to see the trunk repair itself, which is possible and it may make a great home of a small creature, probably an insect, but let’s wait and see.

The friends that came down have missed much of the fruit this year but I have given them a Jar of honey.

The colours of the trees are changing and I have put up a picture of a plum tree with beautiful red leaves, each day the leaves are getting brighter. I have also noted that rabbits have been very active over the past week digging holes. Perhaps its cause by the very strange weather we have been having over the past few days. I have seen more ladybirds around, as they seem to be bedding down for the winter.

County Honey Show

Competition  Honey

I attended the midlands county honey show for the first time on Saturday 24th September. It was held at Hatton Country Park, which is a kind of country farm that has been converted into a shopping centre with country activities. The old stables have been converted into shops which sell fresh produce, a clothes store as well as a sweet shop and a couple of boutiques  selling trinkets and furniture. It has the mandatory tea shop selling cakes etc and a restaurant. It also has lots of activities for children, including things like rides and various animals like sheep and horses. The animals and the rides are quite pricey.

Darker Honeys

The Honey show was disappointing for none bee keepers I sow a number of people go into the marquee and then come out somewhat disappointed, not everyone mind. I saw one woman who's friend was on the other side of the complex, when her friend waved and motioned should she come over to the honey show her friend shook her head and gave the thumbs down sign. The symbolism says it all. The woman wasn't impressed and didn't want her friend to waste her time. I was kind of disappointed at least she should have let here friend decide if she like it.

The honey show was in a large marquee. I sow lots of different coloured honey, I also sow various wax products. As a beekeeper I was interested and must admit I sow nothing new, but am still considering entering some exhibits next year. It had some interesting pictures which were not shown predominately, though worth a look.

Their were two frames of bees that were previously visible at the Birmingham Honey show and Candle making was also on run by John from the Birmingham honey show which my daughter did a couple of weeks ago. Honey tasting was also available, unfortunately I didn't get to try any.

Lots of good knowledgeable people on hand to share their knowledge and passion for the subject, even a demonstration hive to show people what's inside a hive.

I enjoyed it.

Some damage to the Apple trees

I checked on the trees and found a couple damaged. I am always hurt when I see branches which are young and healthy which have been broken. This may have been accidental or malicious, I can't tell. I saw some horse manure on the floor but when I asked if any of the horses had managed to get in, the answer was no. In the past I have seen buzzards in the orchard and they normally sit on the larger trees or on tree stakes. The branches that were damaged were much lower than the ones that buzzards prefer. 

I know that the buzzards like the orchard as we have lots of rabbits, small birds and field mice around. I have often found the remains of birds or rodents that have been caught, usually a wing, or feather and occasionally the skull of a rodent. 

Two trees that were damaged had a single branch from each tree broken. The damaged branches were at least 2 years growth; perhaps I may have pruned them in time. The branches were from some of the apple trees that were planted 3 years ago and they are some of the largest trees that we have planted. It’s a shame and I hope the trees will recover.

Tired and slow weekend

Firstly the bee keeping.
I have finished the varroa treatments this weekend and all went well. I'm hoping that the vorroa are down to none or a very small number, so that the bees have a good start in the new year.  All the colonies have plenty of food. I have concerns about one hive, going though the winter. It was a swarm that I found earlier in the year and only a couple of weeks ago was doing well. The bees are now down to 1-2 frames. They have 12 kg's on fondant so lots of food, I can see eggs etc, and it looks like I have lots a swarmed, late in the year. Nightmare for me. I have spoken to other beekeepers and some reckon that I should consolidate them with another hive. Some reckon that I should try and see it through the winter. Not much time to put a decent plan together just time for action.

The Orchard
All well, it seems. However I was tired and literally wondered around did a little weeding and then went back home. The weather was great, I sow lots of insects including crickets, one or 2 about and inch long but loads calling, various bees and wasps still lots of birds around. I have some small animals digging holes, perhaps rabbits, moles, voles. I have seen worm mounds and cleaned up some nettles, but load more to do. I should have done more fencing but wasn't in the mood.

I listened to honey related programs this week on radio 4. The Food Programme and farming today both interesting, it sounds like the demand for my honey will grow in the UK. The imports of Honey from South America may have to be reduced, due to genetically modified crops. The food program also mention bans from India and synthetic honey. Wired Synthetic honey!

Honey Co-operative

I attended a lecture given by Stuart Greenbank last night it was on the UK's first Honey cooperative which he and a couple of Midlands based bee keepers started in 1994. The co-operative is called "First Honey Cooperative" and it was an interesting talk. I may actually become a member, I find it difficult to sell the honey myself and these guys do the hard work. They supply the National Trust and English Heritage and various organisations including Jamie Oliver.

Stuart told us how the co-operative came about and how in the UK its unusual but in other countries its much more common, he gave examples of Australia which has a co-op that supplies 70% of all Australian honey. He told us about the difficulties his cooperative has faced historically and currently. He also told us what he hopes the co-op can bring to small and large bee keepers.

The co-op is run via volunteers and members. True "Big Society" stuff, no one receives a salary. In its annual accounts it states 0 employees and currently has 84 members and a couple of directors, it cost £14 to join. Members are from all across England and Wales none from Scotland and no suppliers from Devon and Cornwall, they have market which means they are can sell all extra honey.

When he started English honey was none existent in supermarkets, most honey sold in the UK at that time was from abroad, and he and other bee-keepers would sell their honey via the local butcher or just word and mouth. He couldn't get a premium price as the supermarkets were selling honey from China and Chile for 37p per Ib.

He also found it difficult to sell his honey and most shops would take the honey and once all was sold they would pay him. This could mean long delays in getting money back in. As he and the others were hobbyist it was not great but acceptable, however in terms of accounting for the co-operative very challenging.

He spent a great deal of time trying to get a supermarket interested in his produce to no avail but after a great deal of persistence he managed to get a deal with Nestle which owned Gales Honey and a local government project helped the co-operative get a brand together and with Gales help packaged the honey in jars for them via the Gale processing plant. However this all came to an end when toxic chemicals were found in Chinese honey and honey was removed from the shelves. The co-operative honey was also removed as it was processed at the same plant. Chinese Honey is stilled banned in the UK.

They have a brand called Bee Keeper honey which they own but have not used recently, and if they don't use it for 5 years they could lose it.

Nestle sold Gale honey to Premier Food however they weren't interested in the co-operative honey and so they have lost any supermarket presence they had at the time, it's changing now though. He described going to the plant where they bottled the co-op honey and the couple of tonnes of honey that they had brought along took minutes to bottle, he was amazed.

Stuart also told us about the problems with dealing with supermarkets, and how they need to know how much honey in advance you can supply, thats difficult as any bee keeper will tell you. You may have a good year and you could have several bad ones. Its can be very regional as well.

Since the UK had been in financial difficulties the sales of UK honey has fallen and they currently have to store much of the honey. They aren't getting a premium and people understandably want cheaper honey. They store the honey is brand new full grade barrels which are similar to oil barrels they are having to store the honey at the moment as at present supermarkets aren't interested in buying honey that they will find difficult to sell.

The URL is http://www.firsthoneyco-operative.ltd.uk/ 

More Rabbit guards up

This weekend I have put up more rabbit guards. I'm getting quicker but I still have lots of trees to go. Its was quiet with no distractions. No company this weekend, just me and my radio, I started later than usual and worked till dusk. It was nice and peaceful, and couple of hours few bye. I have applied the final Varroa treatment to the bees in the orchard they are all doing well.

By contrast a hive at my parents isn't doing well. The bee numbers are down significantly, they are down to 1-2 frames so about 2000 bees maybe. I have given them lots of food etc and will check on them next week to see if I can do more. I may integrate them with another hive.

Though the weather is cooler now I was happy in jeans and tshirt down at the orchard getting the guards in place. I will need more bamboo canes, next weekend, and progress is smooth. I will still need a couple more weekends, not sure how many. I have kids birthdays and other social things that will mean I can't spend a great many hours on the weekends.

I have noticed that the ground is starting to get harder as the temperature gets cooler. We are not even into autumn properly as most of the trees still have leaves on the trees, but the ground and the soil is changing.

I also visited the Sutton Coldfield Bee Keepers annual honey show, this year held at the friendship hall in Sutton Coldfield. I saw lots of the exhibits and and reckon I should enter something next year. I know lots of the winners and it more a friendly competition  that anything more serious. 

I also visited the Birmingham Honey show in Edgbaston which was very different to the Sutton Coldfield one. The Birmingham one had lots more visitors and it was set in Martinea Gardens within a couple of Marques. The branch bee-keepers were selling honey, candles,  answering questions, lots of practically things for people to do, like look at a hive floor board with a large magnifying glass, make candles, which my daughter did for £1.75. Others were selling cakes and tea and coffee, preserves and as a result it was a lot more family friendly, and as its in a park we all went and wondered through the allotments checked on the orchards, lots of small apples still on the tress. I even sow a couple of mulberry trees with juicy mulberries falling to the floor and not being collected. It is a was lovely place. They have a small woodland trail, and a play area for children. Even the lord Mayor of Birmingham attended and was given a guided tour.  

On the whole this was much more of a community affair. 

Weeding - bucket loads of weeds

The manure hasn't arrived and I'm not sure when it will and the weather on Sunday was colder and much wetter. Autumn is slowing arriving, the days are getting shorter and the evenings are closing in. The Sunday just gone was dark and gloomy.

I managed to clear several bucket loads of weeds from around the base of the trees, I need to get more rabbit guards in place and ensure that all is well. However its going to take time. At the moment I am only at the orchard once a week and have booked a holiday for next month just so that I can spend a couple of days making sure things are ok as we go into winter. The rabbits have had a nibble at a couple of trees and I'm not sure that the trees can wait till next month, for me to get all the tree guards in place

On Sunday I applied the 3rd round of varroa treatment the bees are doing fine and they have started taking down the sugar fondant.

I came across an interesting artical in the telegraph the other day, and I am posting the link http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardenprojects/8742946/Turn-orchards-and-meadows-into-a-business.html

Fencing a good Plum and Damson harvest

I have finally started fencing of each and every tree. I have cut a micro climate fencing product and then staked it into the ground with a bamboo cane.

I had seen it at ryton organics in the orchard it looks nice lets hope it does the trick. Its going to take a couple of weeks to protect all the trees.

I have picked loads of plums and damsons this week. My wife even made me a plum crumble which was mmmmmmmmm.

Not sure what to do with the damsons yet. Any suggestions?

I have placed the order for cow manure and lots of it. It means lots of work for me.

This is the first blog entry I have made using my phone and the blogger app.

Extracting honey again this year.

I checked on the trees but was in a hurry so no time to linger. I had to get the extracting done. So it was a case of suit up and start removing the suppers. I collected all the suppers and then rushed home to get the extracting under way.

I had borrowed a larger extractor from a friend and wanted to get the extracting done this weekend. My friends extractor holds 9 frames, which makes the job faster and even the spinning was much easier than I had expected; previously I had used a much older device that belongs to my local association. I managed to get the extracting done and even some of the bottling done by Saturday evening but finished it on Sunday.

I have extracted close to 20 litres of honey and have bought some much larger jars to do the bottling. I have also have a couple of jars of honey with the comb as it seems people like it like that. To me it looks great.

Will I sell much I don't know. I hate selling it but my wife is more practical than me and I know I need to sell some just to meet the costs incurred running hives. This year I have sold enough to pay for the winter feeding and have ordered enough fondant that should last all winter and if more is require I will supply Sugar syrup.

Found a Girls dress

I was at the orchard on Saturday and found a young girls dress which was strange, it was the sort of thing my daughter wears but I was sure it wasn't hers. I took a picture and thought nothing more about it.

That evening I was at my dad's for a barbeque which was great. Anyway I told my dad and wife about the dress and my mum, wife and sister got me to report it to the police.

I also emailed in the pictures in them and they arranged a meeting the following morning to collect the dress. They did tell me that no children had been reported missing etc. So no crisis. It sort of snowballed, from nothing to the police coming down.

So I met the local officer a nice chap called Mike down at the orchard at 10:30 the following morning and we had a chat. His family have a strawberry and soft fruit farm and he has many of the same problems as me. People coming down and picking fruit, and the occasional bit of vandalism. He was aware of the bee hive being kicked last week as I had reported it to the police and he had visited the orchard in the week to make sure things we ok. I now have his police mobile number and that may be useful in the future.

We have lots of plums and damsons now on the orchard, which are ready to eat and they are tasty too. I collected a large bag full on Sunday morning and yesterday my wife collected more, with the kids.

The grass has been cut and the hay bailed it looks nice large rolls of hay on the land. The Manure still has not been delivered. I will have to check on that.

I am planning to extract more honey this weekend, I may miss some of the bramble honey but I'm not to worried about that. The timing of the extracting comes at a busy time, we have a couple of kids birthday parties to attend etc. Anyhow's I have arranged to borrow an extractor from Ming de Nasty. A fellow bee keeper.

Tree damage

I was at the orchard on Saturday and was gutted to discover someone had damaged a couple of the trees one of the new cherry trees is practically dead, they broke the trunk in half. The b*****ds. I know its only 8 months growth at the orchard, but its 1 years worth of planning, and all the effort of planting protecting and nurturing, that is wasted.

They had also damaged a couple of other trees including breaking branches from one of the apple trees. This wasn't as serious and with time the trees should recover. The vandals have also taken some fruit, mainly apples and plums. However the most infuriating thing is that they kicked one of the bee hives. It disturbed the bees and they had left the hive partially open to attack from other insects animals birds and other pests. They must have been discovered by the guard dogs and look like they hid in some of the talk grass before clearing off.

I have reported it to the police and I can only presume it was kids, as they have only taken fruit that was on some of the lower branches. The fruit that was on the higher branches is still fine, but as the trees are aren't huge it doesn't leave much.

I did more weeding and maybe getting the hay gathered for the farmer next to me. I am also expecting my first amount of manure.

Peaches had been picked

I picked some of the peaches over the weekend. I haven’t tried them yet but plan to this evening. They look lovely, though they are slightly smaller than the conventional ones from a supermarket.

I have also cleared a number of trees of weeds and checked on the bees. The trees seem fine, no new rabbit damage though I have seen a small number of branches damaged probably by birds. It’s not serious and I’m not overly concerned about it.

The bees are fine and the supers are almost full. I may need to get the extractor ordered soon, so that I can start feeding and applying the varroa treatment.I met a local farmer I say local he has cows in a field across the road from me and he travels 20 miles to check on them. The cows are all young and are not producing milk yet. His name is Pat Sultan and I talked to him about manure and my need to get some on the orchard. He would like to supply me but as it would mean moving the stuff 20 miles it would be difficult. He did give me the details of another local farmer that may be able to help me. The other farmer is called Stuart Wilson. I met Stuart on Sunday unannounced visit to his farm house for a quick chat.

He is willing to supply me with manure and I will see him in a couple of weeks to get a couple of lorry loads delivered. I’m not sure how much I need but my plan is that each tree gets one wheelbarrow load at least, over the winter period.

Thats good news.

I also hear my picture is in a magazine this month, Living Woods. I haven’t managed to get a copy yet as it’s not something that my local shopkeeper has much demand for.

Fruit is being damaged by birds

While I was away the birds have been feasting on the fruits in the orchard. They have damaged some of the apples and most of the remaining cherries.

Not all the apples have been damaged, just some and its fine with me, at least the fruit was and is being eaten, not wasted.

I have removed more of the brown fencing that was around the trees, I still have more that 25 trees to go. Each tree takes about 20 minutes to remove the fencing and then clear the weeds so its time consuming. This weekend I was working alone, but made good progress.

The rabbits have tried to nibble around some of the trees that have already been cleared. I have to replace the fencing with a smaller type of protection. I have seen various methods in orchards around, and will be using one similar to ones used at Ryton gardens.

I didn’t check the bees this week; they seem fine and will have to do a more vigorous check next week. It will be the end of the honey season in about 6 weeks and I will start ordering in the varroa treatments.

Week in Cornwall

I was in Cornwall last week and visited a couple of orchards, lots at the Eden Project; smaller ones at the Lost gardens of Heligan and more commercial ones at the Cornish Cyder farm.

The picture shows some statues in the vinyard at the Eden Project.

The various orchards at the Eden Project were as you would expect well maintained, they had various trees all on differing root stocks. Primarily outside the bio domes they were on dwarf root stocks; most were apple trees. However in the tropical bio-dome they have mango trees as well as pineapple and banana trees, and even tropical palm trees with dates growing. One of the employees managed to get a pineapple from one of the trees with the aid of a machete.

In the Mediterranean bio dome they have olives, various lemon and lime trees as well at other fruits like nectarines and peaches. I put my head into one the nectarine trees and the smell of the fruit was fabulous. I went back for another sniff a couple of times. I was also lucky in that a young girl was singing in the dome, she was very good and made the trip even more memorable.

The picture shows Straw Skeps in a Skep wall at the Lost Gardens of Heligan.

At the lost gardens of Heligan they have established more traditional orchards; they even have an Orchard walk which was limited, as the trees are fenced off. They have a map of the trees listing the varieties that they have planted but you couldn’t get close. They did have chickens and geese in the orchard and they also have what looks like a newly created pond that is establishing itself, as it had a couple of ducks but no noticeable vegetation. I liked the idea of a pond in the orchard as it would encourage more wildlife and creatures like frogs which may help in controlling pests, and entice other larger animals for a drink perhaps. However I don’t know enough about on the matter to comment.

They did have other fruit trees in the various gardens, all very nice and pretty, I just wish I had the time and resources that they have to make mine as nice. I was very impressed with the fruit and vegetable gardens and for ideas the place gives off. It is definitely worth a visit. I had read so much about the place that my expectations were massive, I was a little disappointed on the day but in hind sight it was great.

The Cornish Cyder farm was interesting, but it does look like they are copying the Julian Templeton business model. In that they make cider spelt cyder “the Cornish spelling”. They have started making sprits and even wine. They also make and sell preserves. They have a couple of animals on show to please the kids and my son was impressed with the Shire horse and the various cows.

They had pictures of when Prince Edward and his wife Sophie must have visited, but it wasn’t as good as Julian Templeton’s or on the scale of Julian’s enterprise. Then again when I met him Jullian I found him very charismatic and he was willing to have a chat etc and also showed us around his orchards, and his excise warehouse. The people at the Cornish Cyder company just wanted you to buy stuff and move on. We went for a tractor ride though the Orchards which was very quick. They mentioned that they had a more traditional orchard and tours or the bottling plant were available, but it seems a far more commercial enterprise. People were buying plenty of cider and bottles of Rattler a cyder brand that they sell.

Beeston Nottingham

I recently visited Beeston in Nottingham, which was a hive of activity. I went to check out the bee keeper on Beeston High Road. Its a statue of a bee keeper and a traditional Skep hive.