Terry's photos
We returned this week to Clatterford Recreation Ground, last visited in March, to continue helping Newport & Carisbrooke Town Council with their efforts to change this site from a football ground to a community space. With that aim in mind, our task this week was to plant fruit trees along the western boundary. The trees had been sourced from Deacons Nursery and were the following mix:
Cherry ‘Stella’
Pear ‘Concorde’
Apples ‘ Old Pearmain’, ‘Rubinette’, ‘Bembridge Beauty’, ‘Red
Devil’, ‘Belle de Boskoop’, ‘Red Sleeves’ and ‘Cox’
Holes (as you might expect!) were dug, tree and shrub compost added along with the top soil mixed with bone meal, the trees planted and staked and then topped off with woodchip. Finally, tree ties and rabbit guards were put in place.
Over the winter months native trees will be planted along the eastern boundary in a rough scalloped design with wild flowers sown within the scallops. Towards the end of the session, in an attempt to reduce nutrition returning to the soil, some of the GG-ers set to with rakes to remove grass cuttings left from mowing.
Thanks to Terry for the photos and to Newport & Carisbrooke Town Council for inviting the Really Awesome Coffee van to visit and provide us all with hot drinks and snacks. Thanks must also go to Colin for patiently standing on Clatterford Road in his hi-vis to direct us down the lane to the Recreation Ground on arrival - many of us would have driven straight past!
