This Unkind Cut

Courier Countryside column for 7 February

Let my (Apple) Trees go

I’ve become rather possessive.  Generally it’s not a trait I find terribly attractive.  But when it comes to my apple trees I think it’s understandable, even forgivable.

But there I go.  They’re not MY apple trees at all. They belong either to the Community Orchard or, legally, to the owner of each plot on which they stand.

Perhaps a brief recap would help.  Around 1970 the 50 acre fruit farm was land-plotted – divided into 300 parcels and sold off. Since most plot owners tended to live far from the village, few cared for their trees. Soon it had gone to rack and ruin.

An owners’ association set about reviving existing trees and replanting thousands of new ones. Over the years, many of the original plot-holders disappeared or died and the remaining members formed the Community Orchard, and persuaded me to become orchard manager.

So for a number of years now it’s been my job to prune the trees, all planted on old-fashioned, full-size rootstock.  Originally this wasn’t so difficult.  You could reach even the top branches relatively easily.  But now they’re nearing maturity it’s increasingly problematic. Ladders, long handled pruners, pole chain saws, all have to be pressed into action.  Over the seasons I’ve tried to train them into the shape I want: that elegant traditional apple profile with a clear centre or crown, and branches dipping over and down in to give a sort of umbrella appearance.

This is partly for aesthetics, but more for practical purposes. First you want the light to get into the centre of the tree to ripen the fruit and secondly apples are much easier to pick if they’re within reach.

Which brings us back to possessiveness.  I need assistance with the pruning, but can’t help but get upset when I see volunteers slashing away at ‘my’ babies.  It’s a fine line: take off too little and the tree loses its shape and the quality of the fruit suffers; take off too much and you get no fruit.  There are other considerations.  I need to be able to drive tractor and mower along the rows, so overlong branches have to be cut back.  But by how much?

I suppose I have to remember that, when I started, I had little idea of what I was doing, yet the trees survived and even prospered.  Now I have to let others learn by experience.  But it’s not easy!