Planting Cider!

Cider you say!? Yup, you read correctly! Recently I have been involved in a fantastic project that involves cider, the community, local food security and contributes towards flood alleviation.

The landowner on this site has been a pleasure to work with over the past two years and has had a very positive approach towards the environment and involving the local community in her land holding. The landowner’s farm is situated 3 miles north of Dunblane, in a large meander of the Allan Water river between Ashfield and Kinbuck called Craigton.

Thanks to Forth Environment Link & Central Scotland Green Network there was an opportunity to apply for funding to establish a community orchard at Craigton through the Central Scotland Green Network Orchard Grant Scheme. The previous year we successfully obtained funding and planted a 23 tree orchard using this scheme and established the Craigton Community Orchard Group (click here). However, thoughts within the group have now turned to cider! It was with this impetus that the group decided that they would like an additional cider orchard.

An Apple tree from the previous year’s NFM orchard planting scheme

Thankfully our second bid to CSGN’s Orchard Grant Scheme for £500 to establish a cider orchard at Craigton was successful! Therefore with a little help from our fruit tree supplier, Plants with Purpose & Appletreeman, we put together an orchard design of 21 apple and 5 pear varieties that met the community group’s desire to have an orchard they could harvest and press in one big celebratory day.

The cider orchard was designed to be planted so that each tree was 10 metres apart, providing plenty of room for the apple trees, which are on large growing rootstocks (M25), and provides plenty of space to harvest fruit between each tree. The fruit trees were also planted in offset rows from one another, which serves two beneficial functions:

The trees, which are planted in rows perpendicular to the course of the sun, will have an increase in exposure to the sun, because it reduces the opportunity for fruit trees to shade out the trees in the rows behind;
The rows are also planted perpendicular to the direction of potential river flood flow, therefore this creates a ping pong table style design that slows any river flood water that passes through the site.

An example of a staggered row orchard design from the previous orchard planted at Craigton

In an addition to the above, the 26 fruit trees will contribute to downstream flood mitigation by increasing the storage and infiltration of any excess water on the site. The orchard trees will be undertaking the process of evapotranspiration which requires a constant uptake of water out of the soil. The evapotranspiration contributes to lowering the water table and allowing the soil to store more water. The tree roots will also contribute by increasing infiltration of water into the soil after heavy rainfall events, creating a pathway for water to be stored and dispatched under ground instead of forming a puddle on the surface. Therefore the orchard has been designed and planted to provide the opportunity for efficient orchard management practices; fruit tree success; and to contribute to alleviating flooding of downstream communities at risk.

The community group will benefit from this orchard by having access to a local source of fruit, which will increase food security and reduce food miles. In addition individuals in the group will learn new skills; develop knowledge in fruit tree husbandry; and learn to manage a shared communal resource. The orchard will also provide a communal area with a unique wildlife habitat that increases biodiversity and can be enjoyed by the community and the public. This can lead to the increase in local understanding and awareness of land management and environmental issues. The group also have plans to sell the cider produced locally to gain funds to put back into the maintenance of the orchard, increasing the sustainability of the project and its management. Therefore it is a very exciting community group project with a lot of potential and a range of social benefits to the local community. Keep your eyes peeled for Craigton cider in the future!

Craigton Community Orchard Group members that planted the cider orchard

On the 20th of December, 2014, 10 Craigton Orchard Community Group members braved a winter’s day to plant and establish the cider orchard. The day turned out to be superb one for December, with blue skies, sunshine and a cold breeze to keep us cool. The planting in the end only took us 2 hours to complete from arrival, then we all went inside to the farm house to enjoy a hot soup and some banana cake! It was a great way to finish 2014, and everyone had a great laugh whilst planting the fruit trees. I look forward to continue to work with such a fun and enthusiastic community group, and to see how the cider orchard develops with time.

Hopefully it isn’t too long until the first Craigton cider competition!

Pictures of the cider orchard planting can be seen below.

A special thanks again to the landowner Lynn Ramsbottom, Forth Environment Link and the Central Scotland Green Network that made the cider orchard possible.

You can follow the Allan Water Natural Flood Management Project by clicking on the name or searching @NFMAllanwater.