Last Friday the dedicated Heartwood volunteer team set to work on a tough day of mulching our on-site orchard. The tasks included shoveling the mulch material into a wheelbarrow, before depositing it around the apple trees in order to deter undesirable weed and plant growth in the immediate area around the sapling. This helps to ensure that more nutrients will be available from the soil directly to the sapling – increasing its chances of growing into a healthy, beautiful tree.
Orchards are valuable habitats in the UK, with many now classed as sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), due to the abundance and variety of lichen and fungi species which thrive in an Orchard habitat.
We, the volunteers, and many of the people who visit and live near Heartwood look forward to witnessing the growth and development of our orchard, a unique and special feature of our Heartwood project.
