Fruit & Nut Village
Bulletin - October 2022
Join us in one of our Community Food-Growing Spaces as the autumn begins!
Calendar of Events:
Saturday 1st October - 1 pm to 4 pm @ Pebble Mill Playing Forest Garden - we meet here to maintain and develop the site. Shearing paths, weeding beds, pruning, sometimes watering and also planting. Open to all, but over 55s especially welcome
Saturday 1st October - 1 pm to 3.30 pm @ Southern Drive Forest Garden. Forest Garden site design and planning workshop. Help to create the vision and layout for this forest garden we are developing from scratch
Monday 3rd October - 9 am to 12 pm @ Kingdom Forest Garden. Our regular “Start The Week” session. A chance to connect with each other and the growing space we are developing here together. Open to All but over 55s are especially welcome
Wednesday 5th October - 1 pm to 3.30 pm @ Druids Heath Green Forest Garden. Site preparation. We will clear some bramble and prepare this space and ourselves for the planting season ahead.
Friday 7th October - 1 pm- 4 pm @ Pebble Mill Playing Forest Garden - we meet here to maintain and develop the site. Shearing paths, weeding beds, pruning, sometimes watering and also planting. Open to all, but over 55s especially welcome
Saturday 8th October - 11 am to 1 pm @ The Old Print Works Nursery - we will be “soft-launching” our newly-developed plant propagation space here throughout the event. Do drop in and have a look at where we are growing. If you’d like to help with the completion of the work prior to this event please email us, text, call or message on social media.
Saturday 8th October - 9 pm to 12 pm @ The People’s Plot - we will care for our community forest garden, fruit growing space and other areas
Monday 10th October - 9 am to 12 pm @ Kingdom Forest Garden. Our regular “Start The Week” session. A chance to connect with each other and the growing space we are developing here together. Open to All but over 55s are especially welcome
Wednesday 12th October - 12 pm to 3 pm @ Reaside Forest Garden. Design Session - we will use different techniques to continue to develop the design of this site.
Thursday 13th October - 9 am to 11 pm @ Bullfinch Forest Garden - Weeding, mulching, keeping paths open, sharing a hot drink and enjoying this open space.
Friday 14th October - 1 pm to 4 pm @ Stirchley Baths Forest Garden - fruit tree care, weeding, mulching, plant care and enjoyment of this small, formal forest garden space…and we can visit the trees in Stirchley Park and inspect them too if time allows
Saturday 15th October - 1 pm- 4 pm @ Pebble Mill Playing Forest Garden - we meet here to maintain and develop the site. Shearing paths, weeding beds, pruning, sometimes watering and also planting. Open to all, but over 55s especially welcome
Monday 17th October - 9 am to 12 pm @ Kingdom Forest Garden. Our regular “Start The Week” session. A chance to connect with each other and the growing space we are developing here together. Open to All but over 55s are especially welcome
Tuesday 18th October - 10 am to 12 pm @ Pennyacre Orchard Trio. Orchard planning and design. Join us to look at the areas we will plant along Pennyacre Road and to think about what we want to grow here.
Wednesday 19th October - 12.45 pm to 2.45 pm @ Saheli Hub. Join us to use artistic and photographic techniques to explore patterns in nature to contribute to the design of our new growing space here.
Thursday 20th October - 9 am to 11 am @ Plymouth Run - an occasional visit to this linear orchard to ensure that it remains weed-free, mulched and in a healthy state
Thursday 20th October - 1 pm to 4 pm @ Balsall Heath City Farm - Apple Day tasting and identification all afternoon
Friday 21st October - 1 pm to 4 pm @ Pebble Mill Playing Forest Garden - we meet here to maintain and develop the site. Shearing paths, weeding beds, pruning, sometimes watering and also planting. Open to all, but over 55s especially welcome
Saturday 29th October - 1 pm to 4 pm @ Pebble Mill Playing Forest Garden - we meet here to maintain and develop the site. Shearing paths, weeding beds, pruning, sometimes watering and also planting. Open to all, but over 55s especially welcome
Sunday 30th October - 5.45 pm to 6.45 pm @ Kingdom Forest Garden. Halloween Story-telling - spooky tales from Story Vibes in the beautiful (yet eerie) setting of our developing garden. Before this event Ascension Church will run a “Halloween Light Party” from 4 pm to 5 pm…from which children and parents walk down to join us. The party can be booked through Eventbrite (follow the “Little Pineapples” Facebook link)
Monday 31st October - 9 am to 12 pm @ Kingdom Forest Garden. Our regular “Start The Week” session. A chance to connect with each other and the growing space we are developing here together. Open to All but over 55s are especially welcome
Booking and Attendance:
You are welcome to drop into these events, but we do find it very useful to have people book in advance using the contact details below. It always helps us to plan if we know how many people are coming.
Locations:
Pebble Mill Playing Fields Forest Garden, behind Kitchener Road, Selly Park South, through the cut at the end of Cecil Road, Selly Park
(In association with Selly Oak NNS, Friends of Pebble Mill Playing Fields and Selly Park South Forum)
Kingdom Forest Garden, Hazelwell Road, Stirchley - behind the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, on the River Rea cycle path, Stirchley (in association with Selly Oak NNS)
Plymouth Run, Hazelwell Nut Grove, between Plymouth Road and the River Rea
Stirchley Baths Forest Garden, behind Stirchley Baths, corner of Pershore Road and Bournville Lane, Stirchley
Bullfinch Forest Garden, River Rea path at the junction with Hazelwell Fordrough, Stirchley
The People’s Plot, Dads Lane Allotments, Dads Lane, Moseley
(In association with Incredible Surplus)
Stirchley Baths Forest Garden, behind Stirchley Baths, corner of Pershore Road and Bournville Lane, Stirchley
Southern Drive Forest Garden - this site lies on open land to the south-west of Southern Drive, Moneyhull
Pennyacre Trio Orchard - this site lies down the hill from Manningford Road, along the side of Pennyacre Road, Druids Heath
Druids Heath Green Forest GardenThe Green - open land off Manningford Road accessed from the corner of Pennyacre Road, Druids Heath
Balsall Heath City Farm, Malvern Street, Balsall Heath
The Old Print Works Nursery, 506 Moseley Road, Balsall Heath - entry is easiest from Lime Grove, behind the building
Saheli Hub, corner of Cheddar Road and Edward Road, Balsall Heath
Reaside Forest Garden - meet at Apna Ghar, 21-22 Clevedon Road, Balsall Heath
Contact
Twitter: @fruitnutvillage
Instagram: @fruitnutvillage
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fruitnutvillage
Telephone: 07895 692446
Email: fruitandnutvillage@gmail.com
Fruit & Nut Village, Stirchley
Bulletin - Summer 2021
Join us this summer to Grow The Village!
Calendar of Events:
Sunday 15th August - Fruit & Nut Village Stirchley Tour - please contact us if you’d like to know more
Saturday 21st August - 9 am to 2 pm @ The People’s Plot
Monday 23rd August - 9 am to 12 pm @ Kingdom Forest Garden
Friday 27th August - 1 pm to 4 pm @ Pebble Mill Playing Fields
Booking and Attendance:
Please drop in to any of these events or, better still, contact us in advance to book in using the contact details below. It always helps to know how many people are coming.
We are encouraging attendees to take a Covid-19 test before attending any event.
Locations:
Kingdom Forest Garden, Hazelwell Road, on the River Rea cycle path close to Stirchley Trading Estate
(In association with Naturehood)
Stirchley Baths Forest Garden, behind Stirchley Baths, Bournville Lane
(In association with Selly Oak Neighbourhood Network Scheme)
Pebble Mill Playing Fields Forest Garden, behind Kitchener Road, Selly Park South, through the cut at the end of Cecil Road
(In association with Friends of Pebble Mill Playing Fields and Selly Park South Forum)
Broadmeadow Orchard, beside the River Rea path, next to River Brook Drive; easily accessed from Cartland Road
Beilby Road Orchard, behind Beilby Road on the River Rea path
Hazelwell Nut Grove, between Plymouth Road and the River Rea
The People’s Plot, Dads Lane Allotments, Dads Lane
(In association with Incredible Surplus)
Contact
Twitter: @fruitnutvillage
Instagram: @fruitnutvillage
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fruitnutvillage
Telephone: 07895 692446
Email: fruitandnutvillage@gmail.com
Fruit & Nut Village Stirchley is supported by the Selly Oak Neighbourhood Network Scheme and Naturehood. We also work in collaboration with Incredible Surplus, Friends of Pebble Mill Playing Fields and Selly Park Forum
Get Involved
We have a wide range of activities taking place through the next few weeks, as winter turns to spring. There are trees still needing planting, fruit trees to graft indoors for planting out in years to come, field grafting on site to further expand the range of fruits we are growing in Stirchley, forest garden development and plenty more. We are still running a weekly session every Saturday and some events on days outside of that pattern.
We’d really like to welcome anybody over 50 to join us on our Stirchley Baths and Library garden project. Behind these buildings we are creating a formal forest garden...with different types of bed,fan-trained fruit, a story-telling corner, an archway, an allium collection, unusual fruits and plenty more. We meet at 1 PM every Monday. Anyone wishing to join us can just turn up - no skills, knowledge or tools needed.
We are planning the further development of the site at Pebble Mill. We will have a meeting to discuss this before the planting sessions take place in March. If you are local to the Pebble Mill site off Kitchener Road then we would really like to join us to discuss and plan - please do EMAIL US to express your interest!
Volunteer Profile: Helen
I spend far too much of my time stuck indoors, whether it’s at work, doing household chores or overseeing kids’ homework, so the chance to get out into the fresh air, in all weathers, doing something physically active, with a sense of purpose is very valuable to me. The contact with the elements, with the natural world and with other friendly, sociable people brings me happiness, it’s no more complicated than that.
I love that the work that we do will still be making a contribution for years to come; that other people will still be enjoying the trees and picking fruit. And I love that there is such variety, of tasks, events, locations and, of course, plants, because you learn a great deal, often in a very incidental way, with so much shared knowledge on hand.
The rewards of this work change with the seasons, pruning apple trees on a sunny winter’s morning is a gentle, contemplative pleasure, but equally, digging holes and planting trees in muddy ground in the wind and rain is, for me at least, an invigorating experience once in a while! The virtuous feeling that follows makes returning home, eating a hot meal together and settling down on the sofa, all the more enjoyable!
Then there are the warm Autumn days, watching the children lying on the mulch pile in the sunshine, smiling and happy, or pushing the wheelbarrow through orchards and parks, chatting with friends and meeting new people.
Whenever I describe Fruit and Nut Village to people they always think it sounds like a great idea, but it isn’t until you actually get involved that you can really appreciate it. The feeling that you are making a lasting, positive difference and enjoying every minute of it is a rare experience and one to be cherished.
Fruit Corner: George Fox
We have been planting the George Fox apple across our local area as part of Fruit & Nut Village’s work. This tree has perhaps the strongest connection to Stirchley, originating in the local suburb of Bournville!
We were tipped off about the existence of this apple variety in 2018 and we managed to locate and buy some trees.
From the descriptions of the apple variety it looks to be a great selection. The apple is partially-fertile and has a late picking time, but the fruits keep until May! The flavour is supposed to be very good. We have found the trees to be large, robust and quick growing.
The man, George Fox, established the Religious Society of Friends, or, Quaker movement, hence the naming of this apple variety.
Caring For YOUR Orchard
Winter is a busy time in the orchard. There’s still plenty of time to prune and inspect apple and pear trees for canker. Young trees need their branching framework to be developed, and this is a winter job.
Grafting work takes place at the beginning of spring so it is a great time to select and collect scion wood to create copies of your favourite trees in a few weeks time. Bag up the scion wood and store it in the fridge until you want to graft it. Scion should be from one-year old growth and disease-free. Select pieces around the width and length of a pencil.
If you need any ideas, help or advice about winter fruit tree care then do join us on one of our work days.
Fruit & Nut Village Stirchley is supported by the National Lottery through the
Heritage Lottery Fund
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