Despite a morning of rain and high winds, the skies cleared and harvesting of Alice Buckton’s Orchard, on the slopes of Chalice Hill began on the afternoon of Tuesday October 7th.

In one afternoon the Chalice Well Gardening staff team and volunteers led by Orchard Keeper Anthony Ward collected 20 crates of apples from the 16 native apple tree varieties (which include Laxton’s Superb, Ribston Pippin & Lord Lambourne and Adam’s Pearmain, Ashmead’s Kernel & Blenheim Orange) twice as much as the entire harvest last year.

By October 28 the final day for apple picking an incredible 51 boxes of apples ( last year = 11) had been collected and despatched to Hecks of Street for pressing and bottling and two weeks later we received final delivery of  770 bottles of pure natural apple juice (last year 185 bottles) which is now available from our shop at Chalice Well. During October we were also able to supply six boxes of single variety dessert apples Adams Pearmain, Ashmeads Kernel and Blenheim Orange to both Earthfare and Fruition Greengrocers on Glastonbury High Street.

Why such a big harvest this year? Favourable frost free weather during blossom time in April helped our maturing 8-12 year old trees set record amounts of fruit and the presence of 3 hives of healthy bees managed by beekeeper Tom Done in a corner of Bucktons Orchard also helped ensure very high pollination levels. Fruit size was actually lower than last year for most varieties due to limited sunlight during the key ripening times in July, August and September but the overall crop was still at least 4 times bigger than any previous year! Plentiful rainfall also played its part in feeding this years crop.

Buckton’s Orchard also undoubtedly benefited from a two day visit in January by Charlie Graham, our Orchard Mentor, who assisted Anthony in the structural pruning of our apple trees, as well as a mid-summer visit by companion Les Cloutman who gave a scything demonstration and examined the flora and fauna in Bucktons Orchard. The apple harvest in Somerset this year was exceptional and given that apple trees are generally quite biennial in terms of fruit production we will be lucky next year if we get anywhere near the amount of fruit produced this autumn in Bucktons Orchard. As John Heck said recently on the phone ‘ apple trees can’t produce fruit and next years wood at the same time’.

However the general upward trend in fruit produced will continue over the next five years as our main orchard reaches full maturity. The vision of past Trustees under Roy Proctor and Guardians Michael and Lynne Orchard to plant and reestablish orchards at the Well and to eventually produce Chalice Wells own apple juice has now been fully realised with this years bumper crop! And in 5 years time over in Well House Lane another 26 young apple tree – many of them Somerset varieties such as Bridgwater Pippin, Hoary Morning and Tom Putt - will begin to reach maturity and produce even more fruit for juicing and bottling. Influenced by Anthony’s Permaculture training, Groundsman Mike Spring and Anthony have for the past year been keeping the orchard sheep free and using hand tools such as scythes and extendable pole pruners as a means of returning to traditional sustainable orchard and land management practices based on co-creation with nature and the encouragement of wild-life & biodiversity.

Mike Spring, who hand scythed the whole of the orchard in September, has roped off nettle patches in the orchard to protect pupating Peacock butterflies and in June several patches of delightful pink flowering Common Centaury were noted on the upper slopes of the orchard for the first time. Buzzards and Green Woodpeckers are also daily visitors to the slopes of the orchard on Chalice Hill.

A final word on the ‘Harvest of plenty’ and the outstanding quality of the pure natural apple juice on sale in the Chalice Well Shop (price £2.95) comes from fruiterer Tim who manages Fruition in Glastonbury High Street and also stocks Orchard Pig and Hecks own apple juice “ This is by far the best apple juice I’ve tasted and sold in my shop this year” Buy some! Try some!