Tree care this summer season

There are quite a lot of young trees in the fields which will only survive with regular watering during the dry periods this summer. This includes some of the black poplar saplings, two of which had been lost already. We are looking to set up a team of friendly volunteers to share the work.  Sessions are scheduled for occasional weekday evenings, according to weather.  Join us, find out more about Ladywell Fields, meet the other volunteers and make sure the young trees grow roots in your local park. Please email ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk if you can help.

Next Meeting, Wednesday 27 March 2024, 7pm

An ordinary meeting of the Ladywell Fields User Group will take place at 7.00 p.m. on Wednesday 27 March 2024 at the RUSS Community Hub Building at the far end of Church Grove, Ladywell, London SE13.

 On the Agenda:  

PARKS MANAGEMENT ISSUES (Green Flag Management Plan, Flooding in the south field, Southern playground equipment, Vehicles within the park, unauthorised activity in the park, Respectful use of shared spaces)

FINANCES AND SOCIAL MEDIA 

VOLUNTEERING AND EVENTS UPDATE (Tiny Forest, Tree Keepers’ sessions, Community orchard, Ladywell Society’s Folk/Fusion Festival)

All interested park users welcome. 

Orchard volunteering session, Sunday 3 March 2024, 10.30am

There will be another volunteer session at the community orchard on Sunday 3rd March, 10.30 -12.30. We shall be finishing the winter pruning and mulching. Rendezvous in the orchard which is at the south end of Ladywell Fields, near the Bournville Road entrance. Boots and old clothes recommended. Under 16s only with close supervision. Bring your own gloves, and secateurs if you have them, but some will also be available to borrow. 

Please email ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk if interested, so we can gauge numbers and let you know if we have to cancel due to wet weather.  

Orchard volunteering session, Sat 3 Feb 2024, 10.30am

There will be another volunteer session at the community orchard on Saturday 3rd February, 10.30 -12.30. We shall be doing winter jobs: pruning, weeding, mulching and checking guards and posts. Rendezvous in the orchard which is at the south end of Ladywell Fields, near the Bournville Road entrance. Boots and old clothes recommended. Under 16s only with close supervision. Bring your own gloves and secateurs if you have them, but some will also be available to borrow. 

Please email ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk if interested, so we can gauge numbers and let you know if we have to cancel due to wet weather.  

New trees for our community orchard

We started 2024 by planting three new apples trees in the orchard. They are heritage varieties--Rosemary Russet, James Grieve and Ellison's Orange--all on MM106 rootstock, which is semi vigorous and means they will match the height of the other trees in time. They replace the Avalon plum trees which sadly, we lost as a result of the 2022 summer drought.

Rosemary Russet is a late dessert apple, first recorded in 1831 in Middlesex. The fruits are juicy with an excellent sharp but sweet flavour. Ready to pick early to mid October.

James Grieve is a dual use apple from Edinburgh which was first recorded in 1893. Its apples are very sharp early in the season but mellow without losing flavour by December. Pick early to mid September.

Ellison's Orange is a dessert apple from Lincolnshire which came from a Cox cross. It was first recorded in 1904 and used to be commercially available. It has a distinctive flavour, developing an aniseed taste by the end of October. Pick mid- Late September. 

If you would like to become involved in caring for the orchard please email ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk.