The Journal gives a weekly update on events in our English apple orchards, using pictures and video clips to follow seasonal activities and giving the consumer a level of detail not available from any other source.
All aspects of growing, harvesting, storage, grading, packing and marketing are included enabling consumers to understand the challenges English growers face in supplying our sophisticated market place.
From late May - early June, while driving on Country Roads there are countless signs advertising Strawberries & Cherries; that early the Cherries are not English; but now in mid-June with an early season, home grown Cherries are coming 'on stream'
Today: Friday 9th June, The English Apple Man joined the next Under 40's Committee and past and future U40 delegates at Chandler & Dunn's farming enterprise at Lower Goldstone in East Kent.
Living Walls is a concept for creating vertical green areas where conventional 'horizontal' areas are restricted....its not new, but it is gaining momentum and could be the 'next big thing'...........
This week The English Apple Man tells a tale of an apple grower who has not sprayed his orchards with anything; no pesticides, no weedkiller, not even foliar feeds.....for more than 20 years.......
With the increase in temperatures, and a a decent amount of rain, we are in a 'very growy spell' but not without it's challenges......
Recent frost is very much in the news; it would appear the continent is the worst hit and Vineyards in particular have been in a fight to reduce the level of damage with 'candles burning brightly'
The variation in temperature over the last two weeks has been extreme; what does this mean for our fruit trees in blossom...
Wednesday and The English Apple Man joined fellow BIFGA members for the Annual Spring farm walk, held this year at Mole End Farms...after a very early blossom period, mother nature delivers a scare...frost damage and ice in the air.....
Comparing last week's blossom stages (21st April) with this week (28th April) the blossom development ranges from late bloom on Bladon Pippin to Early Fruitlet on Discovery and Red Windsor. To date no frost damage evident on these trees/varieties here in Hastings Sussex.
Below: left to right: Bladon Pippin, Discovery, Christmas Pippin, Red Windsor - on 21st April
Below: left to right: Bladon Pippin, Discovery, Christmas Pippin, Red Windsor - on 28th April
Last week The English Apple Man attended the Marden Fruit Show Society (MFSS) AGM held at Hadlow College. Presentations highlighting the consequences of government policy on our farming futures were central to our speakers...
Then an announcement of a General Election generates more speculation.....
For many years Apple Blossom time traditionally came at the end of the first week of May....at least that is how The English Apple Man remembers this very enigmatic event...blossom time is a time of great hope and sometimes trepidation....
This page initially shows the latest journals. You can use a journal's link to view the full story.
It is now much easier to find a particular journal of interest. Just type your search terms into the search box or select the month and/or year and click Submit.
I have completed the process of reworking my entire archive of journal pages into the style of the new website to make them more accessible to users of mobile phones etc.
Although the content now adapts to the size of the display, some of the archived journals still have photographs that won't fit and so get cropped. Archived journals are best viewed on a computer screen!