The Orchard Project
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theorchardproject.bsky.social
The Orchard Project
@theorchardproject.bsky.social
The only national UK charity dedicated to creating, restoring and celebrating urban community orchards.
🎉 We have launched our Crowdfunder campaign, #OrchardsForAll

The #AvivaCommunityFund is matching all donations up to £250. There are some brilliant rewards to snap up that won’t be around for long!

www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/p/orchards-f...

#AvivaCommunityFundUK #StrongerCommunities
November 12, 2025 at 3:55 PM
👋Hello to all our new followers, it’s lovely to have you here 💛

We are a small, part-time team, working in #London, #Swansea, #Manchester, #Edinburgh & #Glasgow. Since 2009 we have been training people to plant & care for #CommunityOrchards & gardens. We've worked with over 720 orchards so far!
November 5, 2025 at 1:17 PM
We love leaf mould! 🍂 But what is it? How do you make it? And why should you use it?

We have a detailed guide on how to make the best possible leaf mould on our website 👉 www.theorchardproject.org.uk/guides_and_a...

#CommunityOrchards #CommunityGardening #GardeningAdvice #LeafMould #Composting
October 27, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Thanks to everyone for bringing such amazing energy and enthusiasm along to our London Orchard Summit today!
October 18, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Stag beetles are incredible insects, and we love these gentle giants. But sadly their numbers are falling. To help this legally protected, priority species, London Project Manager, Lizzy, created this amazing loggery at Mayow Park. #WorldHabitatDay

#CommunityOrchards #StagBeetle #UKBiodiversity
October 6, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Looking to boost your chances of gaining employment as an orchardist?

Our new Consultant Development Programme (CDP) has been developed to equip trainees with the skills and resources required to work as freelance orchard consultants.

www.theorchardproject.org.uk/news/new-orc...
September 25, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Fancy turning apple pulp into nutritious soil improver? Read our latest blog about how to make your own #bokashi: www.theorchardproject.org.uk/blog/bokashi...

#CommunityOrchards #Composting
September 18, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Looking to reconnect with your colleagues in a beautiful urban setting? 🍎

Our #OrchardEscapes might be just what your team needs! We offer a fun, rewarding day out in nature, supporting the local community and wildlife - lght.ly/pfj961

#CommunityOrchards #TeamBuilding

📷 Cal Holland
September 16, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Pinch punch it’s #OrganicSeptember!

Our friends at the @thesoilassociation.bsky.social run this annual campaign to highlight the benefits of organic production. Choosing to buy and grow organic produce can make a positive impact on your health and the environment.

Top organic growing tips below 👇
September 1, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Love cider? 🍻 Then you'll not want to miss our latest blog, where we catch up with Jez Taylor, head of market garden at Daylesford Organic, one of our amazing corporate partners.
He shares how he got into cider making, his lifelong passion for apples & their many uses 👉 lght.ly/ibj34n6 #CiderMaking
August 18, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Fancy the chance to win a gift voucher from Hetty's Herbs & Plants 🌱 by completing our supporter survey?

We'd love to hear more about why you support The Orchard Project and what to you'd like to see more of. Please submit your response by 31 Aug 👉 survey.alchemer.com/s3/8406808/T...

📷 Simon Lee
August 13, 2025 at 12:15 PM
We recently had the pleasure of catching up with Niru, who completed our Award in Forest Gardening and transformed a small garden for Sufra (a food bank & advice centre in NW London) into an edible garden.

You can read her story here - www.theorchardproject.org.uk/stories/niru/

#CommunityOrchards
August 8, 2025 at 7:58 PM
This cherry tree was snapped 3yrs ago. Here's the fix:
Pack crushed garlic over wound, held with woven bandage. Remove bandage & garlic paste after 2-3 days.
Splint break together with hessian bandage. Remove bandage after 5-6 wks
Place a mini sports cone on the trunk above wound to keep rain off
July 24, 2025 at 9:57 AM
🌱 This is what resilience looks like! A winter storm cracked a branch of this damson tree.

When it came to summer pruning this week, a tiny new shoot was spotted just below the damaged branch, complete with two damsons attached 💚

#CommunityOrchards #Damson
July 10, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Take a restful five minutes to read about what our students discovered on a trip to Royal Horticultural Society, Wisley 👉 www.theorchardproject.org.uk/news/rhs-wis... There is a top tip for those who like to grow peaches 🍑

#RHSWisley #CommunityOrchards #HorticultureCourses #ArboricultureCourses
July 10, 2025 at 8:26 AM
If you're at RHS Hampton Court festival today or tomorrow, pop in the Green Careers tent (marque 419) and have a chat with us about our accredited courses 😊
July 3, 2025 at 1:00 PM
We will be at the Royal Horticultural Society Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival on Thurs & Fri this week.

Find us in the Green Careers Hub - marquee number 419.

Pop in to say hello - we'd love to see you 👋

#CommunityOrchards #ForestGardening #HorticultureCourses #RHSHamptonCourt
July 2, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Is there anything better than heading out in early summer to pick fruit for your breakfast?

Thanks to our training co-ordinator Sarah for sharing this scrumptious photo of her homegrown cherries with us. We're impressed she managed to get any before the blackbirds did!

#CommunityOrchards
June 25, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Don't forget to give your apple trees a helping hand with the June drop if they need it this month 🍏
June 12, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Interested in knowing more about #forestgardening? If so, we have an event happening at Edible Landscapes #London next Saturday (14 June) that you might like 😃
www.tickettailor.com/.../theorcha...
June 4, 2025 at 4:12 PM
To celebrate National Volunteer Week (2-8 June) we're asking for nominations for our Community Orchard Volunteer of the Year Award. This can be anyone who is part of an orchard we've helped to create in the UK.

Simply fill out this short form by 30 June👉https://form.jotform.com/251403479245356
June 4, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Our work has inspired London poet Cecilia Knapp.

The @citybridgefndn.bsky.social poet in residence drew inspiration from the city's community gardens and orchards, and the dedication of the volunteers who care for them.
Find out more: 👉 www.theorchardproject.org.uk/news/poetic-...

📷 Audrey Damier
June 3, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Happy International #BiodiversityDay 🎉

Here's a few ideas to bring more biodiversity into your orchard:

🍎 Add mulch to fruit trees to regulate soil moisture & temperature & encourage fungi growth

🌸 Choose plants for pollinators that flower throughout the seasons

💦 Include a pond or bird bath
May 22, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Tomorrow we are celebrating International Day for Biodiversity 🌍

Did you know that orchards are a priority habitat under the UK’s Biodiversity Action Plan? Learn more here 👉 www.theorchardproject.org.uk/guides_and_a...

#BiodiversityDay #CommunityOrchards #CommunityGardening #UrbanTrees
May 21, 2025 at 2:02 PM
🎊 Happy Birthday to us!

Today The Orchard Project celebrates its 16th birthday.

Founded in 2009 as the London Orchard Project we remain the only national charity dedicated solely to creating, maintaining and celebrating community orchards.

#CommunityOrchards #GrowYourOwn #CommunityGardening
May 11, 2025 at 1:40 PM