Planting of the Bucklebury Community Orchard
Our new Community Orchard, funded by Veolia, for the benefit of parishioners, has been planted in the small parish meadow near Broad Lane in Upper Bucklebury by the side of the Cottage Inn. Most of the planting of the orchard was completed by a team of volunteers on Saturday 21 February 2026.
Our community orchard aims to:
- Provide a sustainable local food resource.
- Provide a tranquil and peaceful environment.
- Encourage and provide a wildlife habitat and pollinators.
- Encourage a communal spirit to look after and care for the trees
- Provide an education tool for the community.
We have planted a small fruit orchard of seventeen fruit trees. The orchard is a mixture of apple, pear, plum and cherry trees.
We are looking for volunteers to plant and care for the trees and eventually to pick produce. The main task for the first two/three years is to manage the watering when the trees are at their most vulnerable.
If you would like to help please get in contact with Jason Allum, Graham Loader, Nina or Tom Peddie or contact Sustainable Bucklebury by e-mail to: contact@sustainablebucklebury.org.uk
Our Trees
| Tree | Flowering Months | Fruit Months |
|---|---|---|
| Cherry – Stella | Early April | July |
| Apple – Discovery | May | Late July – August |
| Plum – Victoria | Early–Mid April | August |
| Apple – Katy | May | Late August |
| Apple – Lord Lambourne | May | Late August – September |
| Apple – Rosette | Late Apr–May | Late August – September |
| Pear – Williams Bon Chrétien | Early–Mid April | Late August – Early September |
| Pear – Sensation | Early–Mid April | Late August – Early September |
| Apple – James Grieve | Late Apr–May | Early September |
| Apple – Tickled Pink | May | September |
| Plum – Marjorie’s Seedling | Mid April | September |
| Apple – Herefordshire Russet | May | Late September |
| Pear – Doyenne du Comice | Mid–Late April | October |
| Apple – Ashmead’s Kernel | Late May | October |
| Apple – Spartan | May | October |
Orchard Layout
The layout of the orchard is shown below, with North West being the top left of the layout. If you enter the small parish field from the footpath from Broad Lane (to the left of the Cottage Inn) then the first tree would be the Apple - Spartan and the far corner would be the Plum - Victoria.
Thank you to Jason Allum for the all the planning, preparation and on-going work on our orchard, and all our volunteers who will water and maintain our trees.