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- Winter pruning (2)by Geoff HolmesDespite our regular volunteering and opening sessions being in hibernation over the last couple of months, essential work has continued. In particular we have nearly completed winter pruning in our heritage orchard. Some trees had got too tall and have been reduced accordingly allowing them to focus their fruiting energy in areas that are more easily reached. All trees have been thinned and pruned back appropriately as we work towards good tree shape and structure. Quite a few of our volunteers have got involved and many of us have learned a lot and gained confidence in the process. Soft fruit… Read more: Winter pruning (2)
- Winter pruningby Geoff HolmesIt’s an important time of year in the orchard with groups of volunteers pruning the trees to keep them in good shape and health.
- Hibernationby Geoff HolmesOur usual volunteer sessions are suspended and the walled garden is not open to visitors for the next few weeks. Some important routine tasks such as maintenance and winter pruning will still be carried out. We look forward to welcoming everyone back soon and will publish the restart dates in the course.
- A few recent picturesby Geoff Holmes.. taken by our volunteer Jane. Not every day this autumn has had perfect weather but Wortley Hall Walled Garden is always a great place to be. We are still harvesting and new crops are growing.
- Apple day 2023by Geoff HolmesOn Sunday 15th October the amazing walled garden team of volunteers and friends laid on a brilliant event attended by hundreds of visitors. We received so many positive comments about the walled garden and sold loads of apples, juice, cake and other garden produce. Thanks to everyone who came and supported us on a beautiful autumn day.
- Find the Apple Treesby Geoff HolmesLook around our heritage orchard and see if you can find which trees have names that match these clues.
- Yorkshire Post featureby Geoff Holmeshttps://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/wortley-hall-how-a-group-of-volunteers-have-taken-on-the-walled-kitchen-garden-at-a-yorkshire-stately-home-famous-for-its-fruit-trees-4365296
- Radio Sheffield featureby Geoff Holmeshttps://bbc.in/WORTLEY
- Some visitor feedbackby Geoff Holmes
- Talking harvest on Radio Sheffieldby Geoff Holmeshttps://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0g8sg44?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile From time 2:13:10 for about 15 mins.
- Harvestby Geoff HolmesAt the walled garden we are harvesting most months of the year. However, in this season that ‘fills all fruit with ripeness to the core’ we are definitely at our busiest in terms of picking, digging up and distributing. Current harvesting includes: Apples, pears and figs; salad leaves, cucumbers and tomatoes; aubergines, chillies and peppers; runner, dwarf French and climbing French beans; potatoes, beetroot and carrots; cabbage, cauliflower and calabrese; green, yellow and round courgettes; parsley and basil as well as our perennial herbs.
- Apple storageby Geoff HolmesWe recently built a new storage system in our crop store. It’s already full of early season apples which we will be looking to sell and distribute in various ways in the near future. There will be a steady stream of apples coming in until early November which is good: the rich fragrance of a good applestore is one of the worlds sensory pinnacles.
- Orchard newsby Geoff HolmesVisitors are loving our heritage orchard. It’s looking beautiful with the contrast of the still verdant greens with the varied colours of ripening fruit. Sisters Olivia and Amelia enjoyed reading the names of the trees and picking some apples they though looked most delicious. The Red Devils were a favourite. Our apple and pear day will be a great time to visit but any day we are open in the weeks up to then will also be good. We had a lovely comment in our visitors book yesterday:
- Supporting Worsbrough Community Pantryby Geoff HolmesWe have lots of cucumbers at the moment and it was a pleasure to donate these to the Pantry at the Community Church on Worsbrough Dale High Street.
- South Yorkshire Festivalby Geoff HolmesWortley Hall Sunday 6th August 2023 11am – 3pm Wortley Walled Garden Growers will have a stall at the festival, with a variety of plants, produce and books for sale. The walled garden will also be open between 11am – 3pm. Come along and see how the planting is progressing. There will be two short talks about the garden. These will be on the orchard and the history of the garden, these are free, but donations welcome. Sign up sheets on the the stall.
- Chapelgreen Community Fridgeby Geoff HolmesYesterday our volunteer head gardener, Bridget, delivered a selection of our fresh produce to a community project in nearby High Green where it was gratefully received. Potatoes, beans, gooseberries cucumbers, peppers, garlic all grown a short distance from the Community Fridge! Part of our vision is to support projects engaging in social action. Look out for more donations from Wortley Walled Gardens in the coming weeks and please get in touch if you are part of a local project we could consider supporting, especially in the Barnsley area.
- We say tomato!by Geoff HolmesThese are our first walled garden tomatoes of the year, grown in poly tunnel 1 and harvested yesterday. The volunteers had these with their packed lunches but there will soon be more and we will be supplying some to the Hall chefs and should have some for sale to visitors. We are also harvesting salads and peas as fast as we can and there is plenty of colour around the garden too. Come and visit us soon or why not try out a session volunteering. Get in touch for more details.
- Garden partnersby Geoff HolmesMembers of Stocksbridge Garden Partners group came to help us in the walled garden yesterday. They got stuck into weeding around the horse radish plants in this rather overgrown raised bed and sorted out another containing spearmint too. They also raked up the cut undergrowth from around the apple trees in the orchard, carting it away to be composted. We hope they come and work with us again soon. If you would like visit or bring a group to volunteer with us, please get in touch using our contact form.
- Head gardener’s updateby Bridget LewisA glimpse into the walled garden to see what we have been doing over the last couple of weeks: Salad seeds sown into modules and put under an outdoor shelter from the sun – it’s been too hot in our poly tunnels! These cabbage plants were planted out on 5th May – they are now having a much needed clear up of weeds by two of our volunteers… Inside Polytunnel 2 – there are 3 beds: on the left is an empty bed freshly composted for a new crop: in this case ready for basil to go in. The central… Read more: Head gardener’s update
- Thurlstone Rainbowsby Geoff HolmesThe Thurlstone Rainbows group visited the walled garden on Monday evening. Two of our volunteers opened up and welcomed them and the Rainbows spent an hour exploring the garden and doing crafts and parachute games.
- New herb bedby Geoff HolmesOne of our current projects is the development of a new herb bed along the south east facing side of the central wall. There used to be a range of greenhouses along this wall so the soil isn’t the best and there is a bit of rubble to hinder digging near the wall. Hopefully the herbs will do well in the full sun though. And there is now a row of sunflowers along the back. We welcome new volunteers so why not come along and help out with it or just visit and watch it develop. It probably won’t always… Read more: New herb bed
- Salad harvestingby Geoff HolmesOur new season salad crops are doing well and we are providing a beautiful selection several times weekly to the chefs at Wortley Hall.