We have been busy with the allotment, over the worst winter for a long while (we had snow up to about 12in deep) in the village garlic, onions and broad beans have been trying to survive. It seems like most of them have survived and now are getting going again.
Before the winter weather happened we collected some fruit trees I ordered. 6 apples and 1 plum. The plum is now in the place cleared for it in the garden, it just needs a first pruning to enable us to train it as a fan. The apples took somewhat longer to get in the ground. We've had the idea of using trained apples as one of the boundaries to the plot. Training the apples as angled cordons along post and wire supports. This has been seen at places like the kitchen garden at Tatton and Ryton Organic Gardens and looks really good, so we nicked the idea.
Where the main pathway up through the site borders our plot we decided to put the 'fence' and over several weeks have worked at clearing the ground, then putting up the supports and finally planting of the first 6 apple trees this last weekend. There is enough space for 9 trees along the support but we've got 6 trees for now as that was all I could afford at the time. The trees are Dabinett, James Grieve, Charles Ross, Lord Lambourne, Spartan and Sunset.
Now for a couple of pictures to show off the handiwork.
