This year’s record-breaking cold winter could mean a bumper fruit crop for British gardeners according to Brogdale Farm Faversham, home of the National Fruit Collection.
Tim Biddlecombe from the Farm Advisory Services Team Ltd and curators of the National Fruit Collection comments: “The cold winter should be good for fruit growers across the UK. Whilst we do not yet know if the fruit crop will start growing later than usual, once the trees do start to grow they can progress very quickly. It is still too early to say if we will get a bumper crop, however generally speaking, cold winters are better for cropping levels. With all the wet weather we have had however, waterlogged or flooded soils can damage the roots of fruit trees which gardeners should watch out for. On the plus side there are no pests that are encouraged by these extreme conditions.”
Spring celebrations will begin at Brogdale Farm with the Blossom Weekend on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 April 2011. Depending on the Great British weather – there will be thousands of trees in blossom during the weekend and throughout April and May across the 150 acres of orchards including 2200 varieties of apples, 550 pears, 320 cherries plus other lesser know fruits such as the quince and medlar.
There will be guided and self-guided tours of the orchards available throughout the weekend and expert guides will be on hand to show visitors the finest displays of blossom.
Mon, Apr 4, 2011
Climate Change, Trees