Island Life Magazine Ltd June/July 2010 | Page 106
country life
Island Life - June/July 2010
Photo: Left - A new growing technique developed
by Washington State University, called the Espalier
system, Stuart is the first one in the UK to trial it.
This will create a wall of cherries making picking
easier.
Above: Juicy cherries picked fresh from the orchard.
producers yet because they have only
could be extended by a further couple
still and just letting nature take its
just gone in. We will have enough to
of weeks in the foreseeable future, with
course. Experiments are ongoing as
supply the island next year, then after
up to half a ton of cherries a day being
he explained: “We are going to cover
that we should have a phenomenal
picked and stored ready for distribution.
cherries with a rain shade to guarantee
amount – so many in fact that they
Stuart continued: “This has been a
the crop. We have the technique of
will be going off the island. We have a
particularly good year for the cherries.
growing; now we have to make sure we
partner from a company that had been
A lot of people may think a harsh
can pick the crop every year.
looking for somewhere to grow apricots
winter would harm them but that’s not
in southern England.”
the case – in fact quite the reverse.
system that was started in the United
Because we had a severe winter it sent
States to grow the trunks of the trees
seasonal workers are picking cherries
the trees into a rest period, which was
flat, just above ground level. This
galore - 12 different varieties that will
good for them. They literally stopped
encourages the branches to grow
become available in stages over the
growing and had a bit of a breather.
upwards. They have only been planted
next few weeks.
Then as it began to get warmer the
this year, but hopefully in 12 months
blossom came and went very quickly,
time we will have a ‘wall of cherries’
and that has resulted in a big crop.
This will allow us to grow more cherries
But for the time being Stuart and his
He smiled: “I didn’t have a clue about
growing cherries, but 90 per cent of it
is organisation and doing things at the
“We have also recently introduced a
“It can be as cold as it likes in winter,
in one particular area and it will also
right time. Cherries need to be picked
but if we get an air frost in April when
provide easier picking and more light
quickly and put into the cold store, so
the blossom is out we could lose maybe
penetration.
we need a lot of pickers.
50 or 60 per cent. And the one thing
Now, after a cold winter and a
we don’t want when we start picking
frost-free spring, work at Godshill
in the cold room, and then they are
is rain. That can cause a split cherry,
Cherry Orchard has begun in earnest,
sold the following day, so most of the
which no one wants, and it causes an
so no wonder Stuart will be keeping a
cherries are sold less than 24 hours
immense amount of problems. They are
keen eye on the weather forecast over
after being picked.”
useless because within 24 hours you
the next few weeks.
“We pick in the evening, put them
It’s a carefully organised procedure
have wasps and things growing on it,
that continues for about seven weeks
so a split cherry is no use, and people
– from the middle of June until the