​​​We are thrilled to share some delicious news from The Commons Farm! In July, we officially welcomed 28 new fruit trees to our growing space, sourced locally from Strzelecki Heritage Apples.  

This exciting new planting includes 20 heritage apple trees, alongside 4 plum trees and 4 pear trees.  

While traditional orchards take up broad, sprawling acres, we are planning to train these trees using the ancient art of espalier.

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What is Espalier?

Pronounced ess-PAL-yay, espalier is a space-saving horticultural technique that dates back centuries. Instead of growing as wide, bushy standard trees, espalier trees are carefully pruned and trained flat against a two-dimensional frame, wall, or wire trellis system.

Why we’re using espalier at The Commons:

• Maximises Space & Light: By spreading the branches horizontally along wires, every leaf and piece of fruit gets maximum sunlight, leading to better ripening and heavier yields.

• Easy Harvesting & Pruning: Because the trees are grown at a manageable height, there’s no need for high ladders! Picking, netting, and pruning can be done easily from the ground.

• Living Architecture: Beyond being productive, espalier creates a stunning, structural "living fence" that adds beauty and structure to the farm.

Rare, Historic & Delicious Varieties

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Supermarkets usually offer just three or four standard apple varieties (out of a possible 200 varieties), but our new orchard features 20 distinct heritage apple varieties—each with its own rich history, unique texture, and incredible flavour profile!  

Our new collection includes classic heirlooms like;

• Dessert & Eating Apples: Crisp, aromatic, and sweet varieties such as Akane, Spartan, Laxton's Superb, Mollie's Delicious, Elstar, and Stayman's Winesap.  

   

• Heritage Bakers & Cookers: Famous pie and sauce apples like the robust Bramley's Seedling and Worcester Pearmain.

   

• Rare Curiosities: Unique historical apples like Grand Duke Constantine, Forfar Pippin, Margil, and Tuft's Baldwin.  

To round out our sweet orchard ecosystem, we’ve also planted pears (including Buerre d'Anjou and Hosui Asian Pear) and plums (Black Amber, Golden Satsuma, and Donsworth).  

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A Heartfelt Thank You!

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Projects like this only happen when a community comes together, and we have a number of people to thank for bringing this orchard to life. A huge thank you goes to our hard-working Tuesday morning volunteers (Clive, Bill, Neil R. and Nick) who rolled up their sleeves to help prepare the ground,  and plant out the young trees. We also extend a special shout-out and massive thank you to garden members the Jenkins Family of Fleet Wine for their generous donation of the heavy-duty posts and wire needed to build our espalier trellis. It’s this kind of local generosity and teamwork that turns big ideas into thriving community assets!​

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Get Involved!

Establishing an espalier orchard is a long-term, rewarding community effort. Over the coming season, with some expert advise we’ll be building wire supports, securing young shoots, and shaping these trees into productive tiers.

Keep an eye out for upcoming workshops and working bees where you can learn form an expert the fundamentals of espalier pruning, tree care, and soil building first-hand.

We can’t wait to watch this living fence grow and, in a few seasons' time, share a sweet, freshly picked piece of history with everyone!

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