Tree-mendous effort by Portgordon kids for community garden
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IT was time to get down to a spot of tree planting at Portgordon Community Garden recently.
Volunteers from the group got their spades out to plant eating, cooking and cider apple trees including a Bramley cooking apple and a Katy eating apple tree.
The trees had been donated from family cider maker Thatchers as part of the firm's Community Garden Project, which as part of the 2023 apple tree planting season is helping community groups, schools and charities across the UK plant more trees this spring.
Andy Logan, from Portgordon Community Garden Group, said: "Portgordon Community Garden Group are delighted to receive these trees.
"We are passionate about growing our own food for the community to use and about improving the area around Portgordon. We are part of the wider Portgordon Community Trust which is doing a fantastic job developing our community as can be seen with the work done in the village hall and the community hub which will eventually have a café which will be supplied by apples from these trees!
"Portgordon Community Garden is based at the harbour in Portgordon and is run entirely by volunteers. Starting up less than two years ago we have two polycrubs and outside growing areas for flowers and vegetables and have many ambitious plans for the future including supplying food for the community café when it opens in the future.
"The polycrubs are open to visitors from spring through to the late autumn and we work with other organisations in our community such as the school and nursery. Volunteers are very welcome whether they have lots of knowledge to share, wish to learn more about gardening or just want a friendly face to chat and have a cup of tea with. These are the first trees we will have planted and we hope the first of many."
This is the third year Thatchers has offered trees to groups through its Community Garden Project, with 500 in all set to be donated in 2023.
Martin Thatcher, who planted his first apple trees in Somerset at the age of five, commented: “From a single apple tree to a to a community orchard, it can make such a difference to people’s well-being which is why we’re delighted to be donating these apple trees through our Community Garden Project."
