Boothby Apple Grafting Workshops

Boothby Wildland, February 2024

Over the last weekend of February, 28 people came to Boothby Wildland for an apple grafting workshop. The free event, supported by our Landscape Recovery funding, was so popular an extra session was added to meet demand. We were lucky enough to have Adam Cade and Gareth Powell, local experts from Stamford Community Orchard Group, guiding the group.

Everyone was shown the technique of how to use a root stock and attach the growing shoots of an apple tree on top – a simple yet deceivingly tricky process of cutting both stems to neatly slot together. These are then bound together. There were proud smiles all around as people perfected their technique and grafted apple trees.

With lots of material available everyone had a chance to ‘make’ a tree to take home and one for our new community orchard. The new Boothby apple trees were potted up until they are ready to plant out. Local Lincolnshire varieties of apples were used and grafted onto standard rootstock, which produces long-living, large, traditional apple trees that are the best for supporting biodiversity.

We can’t think of a better way to kickstart our community orchard than having local people be involved…. literally from the very roots! Fingers crossed all the new apple trees grow and we look forward to finding a space for the orchard at Boothby – reaping fruitful rewards in years to come.