Priming the canvas

Things tend to happen fast at Forktree, and developments in the seed orchard over the last few weeks have been no exception.

What was until recently a scrubby, pretty unsightly patch dotted with compost piles - and, even worse, at the beginning of the project was covered in buiding rubble - is now starting to take on the shape and design of a seed orchard.

Step 1: design the orchard. Tick.

Step 2: scrape the top surface to minimise weed regrowth. Tick.

Step 3: delineate paths and beds. Tick.

Step 4: create planting beds with soil taken from a “borrow pit” elsewhere on the property. Tick.

Step 5: cover the beds with biodegradable weed mat which can be cut through to reate planting holes. Weigh the matting down with broken bricks/rubble (after all, we have plenty…). Tick.

Step 6: cover the mat with mulch. Tick.

If this 2-hectare section of the property were a canvas, it feels as if we have primed it, applied the first wash, pencilled in the outlines and have now started to add the first bits of detail.

Now it’s ready for some bolder brush strokes. Volunteer planters and gardeners, get your trowels and gloves ready - we will be needing you soon!