March 2001

Apple scab is a fungal disease that flourishes in wet summers. The last 2 years were dreadful. The spores overwinter on bark and fallen leaves and splash up into the air with the spring rains. All parts of the trees from the bark to the fruits are affected with dirty browny-black spots.

We were particularly badly affected by scab last year because of the rain, and also because we omitted the pre-blossom fungicide spray. This proved to be a disaster that reduced our crop by some 30%, as the disfigured fruit had to be picked off and destroyed. We hate spraying, but even “organic” growers find it necessary to spray against apple scab. Last year, unsprayed apple trees I saw had 100% scabby fruit, a depressing sight.

I often think of Joni Mitchell’s environmental protest song Big Yellow Taxi with it’s line “Come on farmers, put away the DDT, give me spots on my apples, give me the birds and the bees”. Although we cannot produce saleable apples without a minimum of spraying, there are more birds and bees in our orchard than there were when it was just rough pasture. They especially like the 300 yards of mixed hedge we have planted, and a robin or two always comes to us when we are digging. Wrens abound, goldfinches come to the teasels and sunflowers we leave in a few rough areas, and there is a family of long-tailed tits in the copse.

The copse is an acre of wet, north-facing slope at the far end of the holding which we planted with birch, chestnut, ash, oak, willow, field maple and hazel. As well as being a conservation area this should give a renewable crop of wood for coppice crafts. I did a bit of work there today, cutting branches of white willow to plant out to make more trees. These will eventually go for trug baskets. I also twisted some twine round young hazel rods. This will make a spiral pattern in the wood as it grows, ideal for fancy walking sticks.

Today, I saw signs of growth on some blossom buds of an early pear. Spring’s coming!