Kestle Barton Orchards

Kestle Barton has two relatively new orchards onsite that have been planted to supersede the original orchard behind Avallen barn, where only a few old apple trees remain. The original orchard was comprised of very local varieties of mostly eating apples and our new juice orchard has been planted with the same attention to geographical origins. We are also involved in the work of the Wilding Mother Orchard, which has been established on National Trust land nearby at Penarvon.

Juice orchard

The new juice orchard was planted in 2008. The topsoil from the adjacent meadow was scraped off and used to create the hedgerow that divides the orchard from the meadow. The hedges sheltered the young apple trees as they were getting established and continue to protect the orchard from the worst of the weather. After the topsoil was removed, the meadow was in an ideal nutrient-poor state to seed the native perennial wildflowers. At the same time that the hedgerow was created, the circular space at the back of the meadow was also formed with the same topsoil.

The juice orchard is accessible from the gallery and gardens through our meadow and boasts seventeen varieties of West Country apples, along with additional plum and cherry trees. From these trees, in most years, we are able to harvest enough apples to make approximately 1500 bottles of apple juice to stock our Tea Room each season.

In early 2023 an island of 54 black current bushes was established in the juice orchard, as part of a larger initiative with Agri/Culture 2.0.

Maintenance of the orchard
Pruning is a crucial aspect of apple tree maintenance, as it helps to create the correct tree structure, maintain tree health, and encourage fruit production. The juice orchard is pruned annually in the dormant winter months.

The apples are harvested during September and October. The Pavilion structure (Encampment Supreme, 2015) that is situated in the far eastern corner, was originally constructed by artist Paul Chaney as part of his developing Lizard Exit Plan project. This sheltered construction primarily serves as a holding space for all the apples while the harvesting takes place, but is also useful for shelter when groups visit Kestle Barton in the rain, and when we host specific events in the orchard such as our annual Festival of Children’s Literature.

A compost toilet was built in the orchard in 2016 to support the activities that take place there through the season. We also have solar panels installed at the top of the orchard which provide energy to our converted barns.

Since it began in 2023 we have taken part in the national celebration of Orchard Blossom Day, offering a tour of both our orchards on the last Saturday of April with tree specialist, and apple researcher, James Fergusson. The tour is free and all are welcome.

Downloads

Kestle Orchard Plan pdf

The trial cider orchard

A new orchard, comprised of eight rows, was planted in early 2020 as a part of a research project by Andrew Ormerod, with the support of James Fergusson.

The project is a part of a collaborative observation of apple tree family groups grown in different locations. Trees in this trial orchard are open pollinated ‘half sibs’ (i.e. sister/brothers) grown from the seeds of named ‘mother’ varieties. The varieties were sourced from three areas, Cornwall, Devon and Hereford, although that doesn’t quite tell the whole story.

The first six rows are in family groups derived from a 1932/3 Bulmer’s bush orchard yield trial, from a small orchard in Breignton, just outside Hereford. Quite a few were French varieties selected from Norman and Breton orchards for their cider potential in the UK. The original trees were selected and grafted on cider seedling rootstocks. This practice predates widespread adoption of bush tree clonal rootstocks (MM106 or M26 for example) and provides diversity below the ground from these unique trees. Yields were scored up to 1939 when the trial ended and with the onset of WW2 the trial was forgotten.

At that time the cider harvest season stretched out until March, with apples being stored outside on heaps or ‘tumps’ until pressing was possible. These days large cider producers’ harvest season is between October and December with cold/gas storage used to extend the pressing season for apples. The trial orchard, because of an adherence to previous, less industrially-minded production methods, contains examples of much later ripening varieties. These trees are likely to be very tannic, ideal for making cider. If you drank the unfermented juice it would taste fruity but would be like swallowing sandpaper due to the tannins.

The last two rows contain dessert and culinary trees derived from trees growing in Cornwall and Devon. The trial is geared to research and training, looking at similarities and differences in family groups of trees, and is one of five progeny trials located in different parts of Cornwall and Devon.

More information and trial results will be made available as the trial progresses.

Wilding Mother Orchard

Every apple that grows from seed is a unique variety, and this means that each chance seedling has the potential to become a useful new cultivar adapted to variable future climatic conditions. The Some Interesting Apples (SIA) project has been discovering and recording novel apple varieties growing in Cornwall’s hedgerows and waysides since 2019. SIA founders William Arnold and James Fergusson have located and mapped over 600 apple wildings in Cornwall’s hedges, verges and marginal lands, identifying each tree through a what3words location tag. Since 2020 Kestle Barton has hosted the annual SIA public taste trails, which support the process of selecting promising new apple cultivars.

In 2022, Caitlin DeSilvey, of the University of Exeter’s Environment and Sustainability Institute, joined the SIA team. A blossom time workshop on the Penryn Campus in April 2023 sparked discussion about propagating SIA wildings in a dedicated orchard. Following this event, SIA worked together with the Lizard and Penrose National Trust team to secure support from Forest for Cornwall for a new orchard of selected wildings at Penarvon, Helford, just down the lane from Kestle Barton.

In February 2024 80 apple rootstocks (MM111, M26 and M. sylvestris) were planted out at the site and grafting of the wilding scions began a few weeks later. The Wilding Mother Orchard is the first orchard in the UK solely dedicated to the cultivation of wild-grown, chance-seedling apples—no previously known cultivars are included, and apples grown from seed are included only if they are descended from known wildings.

As warmer winters and drier summers threaten the viability of traditional UK heritage apple varieties, these hardy, locally-adapted wildings offer a potentially valuable resource for future food production. The National Trust and the SIA team jointly manage and maintain the Wilding Mother Orchard as a community and research resource, with the Kestle Barton taste trials supporting the ongoing selection of new varieties for grafting.

Visit the orchard at https://w3w.co/gobbles.surging.stems and follow Instagram @someinterestingapples for updates about the project and opportunities and to get involved.