The family orchard

What better way to start the year than with planting fruit trees. Such a simple act is loaded with so much symbolism, of life and togetherness.

2021 got off to a great start with the arrival of the fruit trees that we ordered last summer. The four bare root plants were birthday presents that needed to wait until the dormancy of January to be shipped, and this long gap resulted in a slightly confused and muted reception from the kids. After I reminded them of the trees origins, and explained why they had to be delivered in the depths of winter, we finally drummed up the excitement levels enough to head off to the field and get digging. It was a lovely and symbolic start to our first full year at the Smithy, and luckily the weather was kind to us with the warm sun offering the promise of spring. I had already identified and fenced off a small area as an orchard, with the intention of growing around 10 mixed fruit trees for our own use. The idea was to assign these particular trees to each of us with a named wooden plaque, and plant them together as a unit, to intertwine as they grow harmoniously in the decades to come. The trees are all on MM106 root stocks, meaning they will be fairly vigorous and form a traditional bush tree - but not overwhelm and smother the space. This is important, as we also want to encourage a wildflower meadow beneath the trees by sowing seed collected from local wild flower species, whilst at the same time discouraging the rye grasses with the parasitic meadow plant, Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus Minor). A mown path will then invite you through the orchard and towards the iron gate (bought of ebay) and then into the woodland area beyond. The fruit tree varieties we planted were a fairly traditional mix:

• Eating apple – Laxtons Fortune (Sam's choice)

• Eating apple – St Edmunds Russet (James' choice)

• Cooking apple – Bramley (mum and dads choice)

• Eating plum – Victoria (Josselins' choice)

My romantic predictions around these trees are powerful, if not a little far-fetched. I dream of many years of family fruit picking and tasty Sunday crumbles. I have hopes that when the kids are older, they will always come home to hug their special tree and eat its fruit. I envisage that this simple and humble process of planting small sticks will result in an ever-changing living sculpture that slowly grows and develops, mirroring the kid's individual journeys through childhood. When I am old, I picture myself stood beneath their mature contorted branches, as if each tree was a gnarled monument to many happy memories. Given such expectations, It's important they are planted early on in this journey so they encompass it all. To mark the occasion I added the date of planting to the name plaques, and this will provide a reference point when, hopefully, we look back together in 40 years' time and remember the day we planted them. Maybe, when we do, I will tell the kids there is a post I wrote about it on the internet somewhere.... if they even remember what the internet was!