Walcot Organic Nursery aims to produce fruit trees – Apples, Pears, Plums, Cherries, etc. in a sustainable manner to the benefit of the plants being grown, the soil, life on the site, the people involved in the business and the wider environment. The nursery aims supply trees that will grow successfully for customers, providing good products backed up with good information through its website, printed material and staff engagement.
To this end the Nursery is organic being certified by the Soil Association. It is part of the Government’s Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) Plant Health Propagation scheme and operates in line within any other statutory requirements i.e. Environment Agency.
Growing Fruit Trees
The trees are grown in soil on one site. The aim is to return back to the site what has been taken out at the end of each rotation. The nursery can be divided into two parts:
- Growing the trees, which is a two year production cycle.
- Building up fertility on land that has been cropped by the use of leys and long intervals between crops.
In growing the fruit trees no herbicides are used or fertilisers applied. Unwanted vegetation control is achieved by passive – woven sheets and active means – hand weeding. Only organically approved insecticides are applied i.e. sulphur and only when absolutely necessary. Irrigation is not used, the trees search for moisture and receive rainfall.
Materials are required in the growing of trees. They are reused wherever possible. The main items used are:
- Passive vegetation control sheets are made of woven plastic. Some of these are 20+ years old and have much more life in them.
- Bamboo canes are used against some, but not all trees. They are only used when required. They are gathered up at the end of each summer, bundled and overwintered under cover. Canes do become brittle but the aim is for them to have a usable life of at least five years.
- Tying materials for maintaining straight growth against canes and polythene tape used for bud grafting. All are plastic and single use. The tying materials are gathered up after use but cannot be recycled. The polythene tape is gathered and can be recycled.
To build up the fertility of land that has been cropped before there is an interval of about 5 years between crops. A grass and clover ley is established each spring as an area comes out of production. Mowings are not removed as hay but allowed to return back to the land. The aim is to maintain and build up the fertility of the soil, its organic matter and to avoid bringing in materials such as farm yard manure, green waste or organically approved fertilisers. A closed sustainable system is the aim.
Wildlife
Natural life is part of the nursery. Hedgerows are maintained and boundary trees have been planted. The Nursery has some areas that cannot be cropped being susceptible to flooding. Tolerant trees are being planted to create small copses.
Grass ley mowing is timed to allow wildlife and plants to benefit from its growth. Within the fruit tree crop predators that do not affect the crop are to be encouraged rather than use organically approved pesticides. Harmful mammals I.e. deer are to be kept out the crop by fencing.
Supplying the Customer
Walcot Organic Nursery is able to supply the trees it grows between late November and late March when dormant, nature’s time for planting. Most orders are delivered by a nationwide carrier. Once lifted, the trees have to be packaged to protect them and ensure they arrive in good condition for successful establishment.
This is a challenge. All trees, whether delivered or collected have their roots enclosed in black polythene bags to keep the roots moist. These are made up of mostly recycled plastic.
When trees are delivered by carrier, we use cardboard cartons which have a high recycled content. As the trees are placed in their cartons, the above ground part of the trees are wrapped in recycled corrugated paper and surrounded by straw, sourced locally, for packing.
In the last five years we have taken some steps to reduce our use of single use plastics for packaging with the help of our local packaging supplier:
- We have ‘discovered’ carton staplers. Metal staples have replaced plastic parcel tape.
- Some parcel tape still has to be used to secure delivery labels. A paper based tape is now used.
- From winter 2023-24 the advice leaflets provided with every order will be stapled together and not enclosed in a polythene bag.
Energy Use
As a unit the nursery uses electricity for lighting and office equipment, water for watering the few containerised trees we grow and dampen roots and disel as a fuel for its pickup and compact tractor.
Within the last five years, we have had LED lighting installed in the office area. The electricity used annually is similar to a semi detached house.
Nursery Labour
We are a small business employing three staff. Employees are to be treated with respect, and are encouraged to learn more over time about growing techniques & about the products grown. The staff treat visitors and customers with respect and the aim is to give good service. All staff live locally and arrive by public transport or bicycle.
Contractors and suppliers are important to the business. We endeavour to understand their businesses and pay them promptly. We would rather use a local contractor and their equipment (mowers, ploughs etc.) than purchase expensive equipment that is only occasionally used.
Community
The nursery is a part of the local community. We will always aim to be good neighbours. Within the last five years it has become involved in three community projects:
- Sales of fruit from our small orchard that is made available to visitors and at autumn events are donated to Pershore Foodbank.
- Staff are actively involved, on an ongoing basis, in the establishment of a wildflower area within Abbey Park, Pershore, adjacent to Pershore Abbey.
- In partnership with a local grower we sell a local variety of Loganberry. Half of the sale proceeds are donated to Magg’s Day Centre, Worcester – a homeless charity with outreach over Worcestershire.
