In March Richard Cripps, a Wiltshire based experienced professional horticulturalist visited our orchards and gave advice on the winter pruning of our pip fruit trees; apples, pears and quince. Last week Richard returned to advise us on how to prune our stone fruit trees; cherries and plums. As with his previous visit Richard talked about… Continue reading Summer Pruning
News
Community Orchard Grassland Survey – August 2026
There is a lot going on in the Community Orchard. It may look like a weedy mess but it is slowly being transformed. The starting point was a monoculture of agricultural rye grass which was effectively an ecological desert. Now we have at least 47 species of flowering plant, which will support a huge array… Continue reading Community Orchard Grassland Survey – August 2026
Community Orchard Grassland Survey – July 2026
In the autumn of 2025 with the help of a team of volunteers the Community Orchard and Nature Reserve was reseeded with native wildflower seed harvested from the RSPB reserve at Winterbourne Down. We have waited patiently to see what would emerge on the site and are very grateful to three volunteers, Catherine Sankey, Sarah… Continue reading Community Orchard Grassland Survey – July 2026
Emerging Results of Reseeding
Last October we reseeded the Community Orchard & Nature Reserve with a wildflower mix harvested from the RSPB reserve at Winterbourne Down. After the ground was prepared by tractor a team of volunteers formed a row and moved across the area casting the seed by hand. We had no idea what might emerge and it… Continue reading Emerging Results of Reseeding
Information Boards
Sadly our information boards did not fare well over the winter with the Community Orchard board showing signs of weathering. Whilst the one in The Close fell apart. However, one of our volunteers, Kevin Emery, stepped forward to offer help. Kevin diligently refurbished both boards and they are now back in place as good as… Continue reading Information Boards
Winter Pruning
An important element of managing the fruit trees in The Close and Community Orchard is pruning to keep the trees healthy, encourage strong growth and improve the fruit harvest. Although our trees are newly planted they still need some pruning and we were pleased to secure funding from the Coronation Living Heritage Orchard fund to… Continue reading Winter Pruning
RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch
Pitton Nature Trust encourage local residents to take part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch over the weekend of 23rd January to 25th January 2026. This is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey and has been going since 1979. In 2025 over 590,000 people participated and counted 9.1 million birds. The RSPB’s website has lots… Continue reading RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch
Winter in The Close
Work continues to enhance the biodiversity in The Close. Most of the area was scythed in September, the clumps of Knapweed were left because it is ideal habitat for small mammals and insects whilst also providing seeds for birds. The leaves have been cleared and conkers collected. In recent weeks the grass has been cut… Continue reading Winter in The Close
Hedging the Community Orchard
Thanks to support from the Woodland Trust we have been able to complete creating a hedge around the Community Orchard & Nature Reserve. On 15th November some trustees and volunteers gathered on the site to plant 315 hedgerow saplings. We have now planted 735 hedgerow saplings with a mix of hawthorn, blackthorn, rowan, wild cherry,… Continue reading Hedging the Community Orchard
Pitton Nature Trust Event Update
We held a very well attended event on Friday 7th November in Pitton Village Hall. The evening commenced with Fred, our Chair of Trustees, thanking all those organisations and individuals that had supported the charity since it started in 2023. Particular mention was made to Pitton Social Club for their recent generous donation which has… Continue reading Pitton Nature Trust Event Update