Our First Year: Overcoming Challenges, Celebrating Success

The orchard’s first year hasn’t been without its challenges. Early on, we faced periods of drought that tested the young trees, as well as occasional instances of vandalism. Despite these hurdles, the orchard has flourished, and we’re thrilled to report a small but significant first harvest of apples and plums. It’s a testament to the dedication of the volunteers and community members who continue to nurture this space.

A Place for All: Building Community, Boosting Biodiversity

The Axminster Community Orchard isn’t just about fruit—it’s about creating a special place where residents can come together, relax, and reconnect with nature. The orchard is designed to boost local biodiversity, providing a home for wildlife while also protecting some of our rare and at-risk varieties of apples. Each year, we aim to produce a sustainable harvest of apples and plums, which will be shared with the whole community. We are also monitoring biodiversity and thinking of new ways we can encourage new flora and fauna through environmental enrichment projects.

Look Ahead: Orchard Improvements and an Official Opening in Spring 2025

While the orchard is already thriving, it is not currently open to the public as we have been giving our young trees a chance to get established during their vulnerable first year. We’re now eagerly awaiting the official opening of the orchard, which we hope will take place in Spring 2025. There’s no better time to celebrate the orchard than when the trees are in full blossom, and we look forward to welcoming everyone to this special event. Keep an eye on this space for more details as we approach this exciting milestone!

In the meantime, we are making plans to improve access, seating, signage and public information boards too.

Stay Connected: Follow Our Journey

We’re excited about the future of the orchard, and we hope you are too! You can keep up to date with the latest orchard news on our new Facebook page, where we’ll be posting updates, tips, and event information. Be sure to bookmark this page for easy access!

Can you help us make this space even better?

We are looking to plant out the hedge to North West (left) boundary of the orchard with fruiting bushes next. Don't forget, this is a community-run initiative, and your help is what makes it possible. If you can contribute, please get in touch.

Things we need:

• Fruiting hedgerow bushes and trees: Fruit like, sloes, raspberries and elderberries would be perfect editions.

•  Volunteers: If you can dedicate a couple of hours once a month to helping us care for the orchard, then that's all we need from you.

• Expertise: If you are passionate and knowledgeable about fruit trees and local flora and fauna, we would love to talk to you.

• Woodchip for mulching: around the base of our trees. This protects them from frost in winter and helps to prevent them drying out in the summer. We get through a fair bit each year, so if you have more chippings than you know what to do with, we would love to take them off your hands!

• Tree stakes, guards and ties. 

• Tools: Our volunteers are mostly keen gardeners and use all they own tools, but we would love to have a few tools on hand so that those who are not regular gardeners can still get involved.

• Fun environmentally friendly activities, entertainment, or donations that might help us at our Spring and Autumn Harvest events.

Please use this map to help you work out which varieties of apples, plums and pears are planted where.   

Scrolling further down, you will find a description of each tree, its fruit, and when it is usually ripe for harvest.

Please use the colours and numbers to help you match the map to the list of apples, plums and pears.

Fruit: Apple (for eating)     Harvest in: September

About this apple: An old Somerset variety once though lost. Mid/Late season medium sized yellow apple with pale red stripes and thin russeting. Strong growing tree and very hardy. Does well in Cornwall.

Fruit: Apple (for eating)     Harvest in: August

About this apple: The Laxton brothers of Bedford, two Victorian plant breeders and nurserymen, bred some of the best apple varieties that we know and love today, and Laxton's Epicure is no exception. A fantastic, very early-eating apple. Ready to eat in August, the tree grows well, has good natural disease resistance and crops abundantly - it makes a great start to the apple harvest season!

Epicure has rich pear notes; it is sweet and juicy and easy to recognise from its longer-than-normal stem. It has a fairly thick skin, but this is by no means a reason to put you off this very tasty apple.

Fruit: Apple (for eating)     Harvest in: October

About this apple: William Crump boasts one of the most intense, rich and aromatic apples of all the eaters. The fruit features a bright orange/red flush over greenish yellow, with some russetting and indistinct stripes. The taste is highly fruity with some sharpness, plenty of acidity and a pineapple-like flavour.

The tree grows vigorously and produces reliable, but not particularly heavy crops, making it one for those preferring quality of flavour to quantity of fruit. William Crump was created in Madresfield Court Gardens, Worcestershire during the early 20th century as a cross between the two famous varieties; Cox's Orange Pippin and Worcester Pearmain. 

Fruit: Apple (for eating)     Harvest in: September to October

About this apple: Tidicombe Seeding is a lovely apple originally from Arlington, North Devon 1978, and rediscovered by Kevin Croucher of Thornahyes nursery. It is a richly flavoured, sweet dessert apple which is ready from late September to late October. Tidicombe Seeding is disease resistant and flowers prolifically in the spring.

Fruit: Apple (for eating)     Harvest in: September to October

About this apple: Sunset tastes very similar to a Cox’s Orange Pippin, sweet, sharp, crisp and aromatic. The apples ripen to a striped red, orange-yellow flush - somewhat like a sunset! The fruit is very disease resistant, producing reliable crops of blemish-free apples. It’s an excellent ‘Cox’ alternative as it proves much easier to grow, especially in the wetter parts of the country. Fruits are ready to pick and eat through September/early October.

Fruit: Apple (for eating)     Harvest in: October

About this apple: Holstein is an excellent Cox-offspring, originally from Germany. It produces large juicy apples, rich in flavour - much like Cox's Orange Pippin. The trees are vigorous and strong growing. They make a great alternative to Cox apple trees in the wetter parts of the UK as Holstein is much more disease resistant. A great variety for juicing, the Holstein will keep for several months over the Autumn/Winter. Holstein is a triploid variety, so benefits from having a couple of other apple trees nearby for pollination.

Fruit: Apple (for eating)     Harvest in: September

About this apple: Tydeman's Early Worcester is an excellent early dessert apple, introduced in 1945 as a cross between Worcester Pearmain and Mackintosh Red.

Fruit: Apple (for eating)     Harvest in: November

About this apple: Rubin is an aromatic sweet and juicy eating apple . This variety crops well and has disease free fruit that stores until March. It demonstrates a vigorous upright habit and will train well as an espalier or cordon tree. The fruit from Rubin will hold on well into November. Rubin is a good modern variety from the Czech Republic and is a cross between the Lord Lambourne and the Golden Delicious.

Fruit: Apple (for eating)     Harvest in: August

About this apple: Discovery is one of the best early-season dessert apples ready to pick and eat around mid-August. Crisp and juicy with a good balance of acidity and sweetness, it is a pretty apple with a deep scarlet flush and creamy white flesh, sometimes stained pink. Discovery is fairly hardy with good disease resistance, making it an easy tree to grow either in the garden or in an orchard. It makes fantastic quantities of juice and will store better than most other early-season apples.

Fruit: Apple (for eating)     Harvest in: September

About this apple: Green Sleeves makes an attractive apple tree with beautiful blossom and striking bright green fruit. It produces crisp, crunchy apples with a nice acidic tang that will sweeten as it matures. Much like its parents James Grieve and Golden Delicious, it makes a fine juice and will be a regular and heavy cropper. Green Sleeves was developed in 1966 at the East Malling Research Station, Kent by Dr Alston.

Fruit: Apple (for eating)     Harvest in: August

About this apple: George Cave produces sweet, crisp and juicy apples with a good balance of acidity. The fruits become ripe early in the summer and are best eaten straight from the tree. It is a good cropper and frost hardy, varying in colour from green to red. It was originally found as a chance seedling in Essex in 1923 and makes a nice refreshing apple for early in the season.

Fruit: Apple (for eating)     Harvest in: October

About this apple: Adam's Pearmain is an old English dessert variety dating back to 1826. It is a crisp, juicy apple with a firm texture but aromatic and nutty flavour. Pearmain is a common name for apples with a pear-like shape. The blossom is frost resistant and the apples hang well on the tree meaning they are good for exposed windy sites. They are also ideal for organic cultivation as they are disease-resistant and, if stored correctly, will keep well into March.

Fruit: Apple (for eating)     Harvest in: October

About this apple: Topaz is a modern apple, specially developed to be both disease-resistant and have an excellent flavour. This late-season eating apple is firm, very crunchy and juicy, with a refreshing sharp flavour. The apples store well and though are usually picked in October, those not picked will stay on the tree for a long time.

Fruit: Apple (for eating)     Harvest in: October

About this apple: Egremont Russet is probably the most well-known russet apple, thought to have originated in Sussex and first recorded in 1872. The flesh is sweet, crisp and firm with a rich, nutty flavour that is very distinctive. It is a very attractive and unique-looking apple with lovely golden russetted skin. The Victorians classed the Egremont Russet very highly, and it remains an important commercial apple to this day. The tree produces plenty of fruit and will tolerate damper and colder parts of the country. It is also one of the best apples to serve alongside a fine cheese board.

Fruit: Apple (eat or cook)   Harvest in: October

About this apple: Nine Square is a late cropping variety producing a light green and sweet tasting apple that works equally well as a dessert or cooker. It is an old 19th century variety that was once widely grown throughout the Westcounty. It is particularly suited to growing in damper regions or under an organic system as it has an excellent resistance to apple scab. 

Fruit: Apple (eat or cook)   Harvest in: October

About this apple: A tasty dessert apple, bred in the 19th century by the Veitch nursery of Exeter.  A russet-type, nutty flavour, thought fairly sharp, this is a good quality eating apple with a very attractive dark mauve flush on the skin.

Fruit: Apple (eat or cook)    Harvest in: November

About this apple: Peter Lock is another apple tree perfect for those looking for a dual purpose eating and cooking apple. When eaten fresh the apple is sweet and subtly scented and when cooked it produces a smooth very sweet bright gold puree. The apple are large and green with a red flush. Peter Lock originates from Buckfastleigh in Devon in the early 19th century.

Fruit: Apple (cider or cook)    Harvest in: October

About this apple: An old English dessert apple dating back to the 1700s, Ashmead's Kernel is arguably the best tasting traditional variety. Its flavour is complex with sweet pear drops and sharp citrus undertones. It is a firm apple with slight russetting and it is excellent for eating, juicing and cider making. It has good disease resistance, making it great for organic growing, and its attractive blossom makes a pretty display in the spring.

Fruit: Apple (cider or cook)     Harvest in: September

About this apple: A popular old dual-purpose apple, which is often used as a mild sharp for cider making. It is very disease resistant and crops can be produced in exposed locations and higher altitudes. It makes a vigorous and spreading tree with good reliable crops. Tom Putt was bred by a Reverend Tom Putt who also gave his name to Putts Corner, now the site of the Hare and Hounds pub near Honiton. This apple was originally from Devon, 18th century.

Fruit: Apple (eat, cider or cook)  Harvest in: October

About this apple: Ribston Pippin' is a versatile variety that produces a great all-round apple suitable for eating, cooking, juicing and cider making. When eaten fresh the apple is crisp, sweet and aromatic with an intense flavour, stronger and richer than 'Cox' and with more acidity. The tree is very hardy, making it great for northern growers or those growing on exposed sites. It's also well suited for espaliers and cordons. It was developed around the beginning of the 18th century in Yorkshire.

Fruit: Apple (cider or cook)      Harvest in: October

About this apple: Hains is a useful dessert and cider variety from Dorset. It makes a nice eating apple and will produce a clean and fruity sweet cider. The juice from Hains is good for blending or as a single variety. 

Fruit: Apple (eat or cook)      Harvest in: August

About this apple: Farmers Glory is a vigorous Devonshire apple tree variety that can be eaten or cooked. It has a sharp quality that becomes sweeter as it ripens.

Fruit: Apple (eat or cook)     Harvest in: September to October

About this apple: Information to follow

Fruit: Apple (cook)        Harvest in: September

About this apple: Arthur Turner (the apple) was raised by nurseryman Arthur Turner of Slough, Buckinghamshire in 1912 and awarded an R.H.S prize for its attractive, ornamental blossom. It cooks to a brisk yellow puree, making it perfect for stewed apple and apple sauce and requires little added sugar. It is an early cropper that can be picked in September and remains a reliable and vigorous variety.

Fruit: Apple (cook)         Harvest in: October

About this apple: Bramley apples are the most popular and probably most well-known cooking apples. When cooked they form a golden fluffy puree with a sharp bite. Bramley apple trees are vigorous and long lived, resistant to canker and apple scab. The Bramley variety was formed after a young girl planted apple pips in her garden, in Nottinghamshire in 1809.

Fruit: Apple (cook)         Harvest in: October

About this apple: A reliable and disease free late season cooking apple, suitable for more challenging sites in the Westcountry.

Fruit: Plum        Harvest in: August

About this plum: A good, reliable variety for the Westcountry, this old variety originally from the West Midlands produces regular crops of large, oval-shaped yellow plums. The flesh is yellow, sweet and very juicy - equally good eaten straight from the tree or for cooking/preserving. The trees have a spreading, drooping habit, hence its name, and crops can be abundant! 

Fruit: Plum        Harvest in: July

About this plum: Dark red fruits of good flavour. Originating from Sweden 1926. 

Fruit: Plum        Harvest in: September

About this plum: Large crops of large purple fruit. Originating from Berkshire 1912.

Fruit: Plum        Harvest in: August

About this plum: Victoria grows heavy crops excellent for bottling or jam. The crop can be ripened for dessert plums. Originating from Sussex in the 19th century

Fruit: Pear        Harvest in: October 

About this pear: Tender and juicy flesh with a rosewater flavour - Originating from France in the 19th Century

Fruit: Pear        Harvest in: September 

About this pear: An excellent mid-season dessert pear that is ready for picking from mid/late September. It is a very healthy tree and seems to grow well in the damper areas of the country, producing large golden yellow pears. It is a very sweet, richly flavoured and juicy pear. Flesh is buttery and smooth with some slight grittiness. Triumph of Vienna is an old French variety. Cropping is reliable and heavy. It requires a pollination partner as it is self-sterile which is why we have planted a pair.

Fruit: Pear        Harvest in: September to October

About this pear: Conference are a green and russeted reliable heavy crop. Conference is a self-fertile pear so does not require a pollinating partner - though yields will be better if there is one, so we planted two! Conference is a fairly hardy variety which is a good choice for all regions of the U.K. It originated from Hertfordshire in the 19th century

Fruit: Crab Apple    Harvest in: September to October 

About this crab apple: A particularly attractive crab apple producing a profusion of white blossom in May, followed by yellow fruits blushed with red that deepen to a dark glossy scarlet in time for Christmas. Crab Apple 'Red Sentinel' makes an attractive and productive specimen tree for smaller gardens, with a long season of interest. Crab apple fruits can be harvested to make delicious crab apple jelly. Any unpicked fruits will soften after a few frosts to create a sumptuous food source for wild birds. Crab apples are self fertile and if planted near orchard apple trees make excellent pollinators.

Fruit: Medlar        Harvest in: October to November

About this medlar:  Nottingham is widely considered the best flavoured Medlar. It has a weeping habit and twisting branches, making a pretty ornamental tree with white flowers in the spring and autumn leaves turning a golden orange. Fruits are ready to be picked from mid October and early November to then be stored for a few weeks whilst they ‘blet’ - after which they are soft enough to eat.