Saturday, October 2, 2010

AUTUMN - NATURE'S TIME FOR PLANTING

Hello - what a week!! A lot of water has fell out of the sky at the nursery this week - nearly an inch and three-quarters - and parts of the nursery have returned to their 'Battle of the Somme' status!

But - it has remained pretty mild - and this is excellent planting weather - trees and shrubs planted now will root quickly while the soil remains warm - and get off to a flying start in spring.

In recent years - there seems to have been a move away from autumn planting in favour of spring - but - particularly in East Anglia - this can lead to problems of establishment when springs turn dry. Far far better to copy dear old Mother Nature - she ripens her fruits now - and as they fall onto warm soil - they swell up and often produce small root systems before the cold weather comes.

The pace is starting to quicken at the nursery, as the new planting season dawns - I have spent most of my week gathering apples for long-term storage - running on about 75 varieties picked so far - all in preparation for our APPLE DAY CELEBRATION on SATURDAY OCTOBER 23RD.

If you have never been before - it is a great fun day out - we have a lot going on - from games to advice and of course there are over a hundred different apples to taste!!

Definitely one to put in your diary!!

UNTIL NEXT TIME,
RICHARD

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