How To Choose, Plant & Manage Fruit Trees

This will be a very hands-on day where you will learn how to plan, plant, and look after your own fruit trees.

You’ll learn about rootstocks, pollination, compatibility, and picking and storage. You’ll have a chance to get hands on with planting, staking, pruning, and mulching. We’ll also take you through the longer management of your trees. Bring some sacks to take some woodchip mulch home with you and do dress for the weather.

The day will start at Helen Browning’s Royal Oak pub with an introduction to the day. The morning session will be a mixture of theory and practice, based in and around the pub and farm. We will enjoy a hearty lunch back at the pub before heading out for our afternoon session. We will end up back at the pub for a question-and-answer session.

Tea, coffee and lunch are provided.

This course is aimed at all gardeners, whatever size of garden or allotment you may have. We have a limited number of bursary places available for those on low income or who volunteer at community gardens or allotments. Please email louise@helenbrowningorganics.co.uk for details.

And, if you don’t fancy an early start, we have a special hotel deal for course participants. Check your booking confirmation email for details or give us a call to check availability - 01793 790481.

Tutor: Ben Raskin

Ben is the Head of Horticulture and Agroforestry at the Soil Association in the UK. He also manages our pioneering agroforestry here on Lower Farm. He got the gardening bug while working on an organic vineyard in Northern Italy, and has worked in horticulture for thirty years. Ben is author of several books including Plant a Tree and Retree the World, The Woodchip Handbook, The Community Gardening Handbook, Compost, Grow, and Bees, Bugs & Butterflies.