Our apple orchards
Our involvement with orchards goes far beyond teaching fruit tree and orchard management classes in the orchards of Stanmer Park. We are involved in a range of initiatives to grow the many delicious apple varieties which come from Sussex, some of which, like Bossom, are very rare. The collection of Sussex apple trees was recognised by Plant Heritage in 2013 as a National Collection.
With Stanmer Orchard Group, we have renovated two orchards at Stanmer Park, the Old Stanmer Orchard and Home Farm Orchard, as well as planting another at the Meadow Orchard and one near Earthship Brighton.
Visiting the Stanmer orchards
The orchards provide an abundance of apples and are a good habitat for wildlife. The Old Stanmer Orchard and Home Farm Orchard are open to the public throughout the year and can also be visited by schools and groups by arrangement with Brighton Permaculture Trust. Visit our directions page to see where the orchards are and find out how to get to Stanmer Park. We often need volunteers to help with the orchards.
Events
Apple Day Brighton each autumn includes tours of the orchards, apple advice, story telling & much more. In May the orchards are full blossom & alive with pollinating insects, the focus of our blossom tour.
Propagation
We also have our Permaculture Plot which includes a nursery which is mainly used for training in fruit tree grafting. It is not open to the public but can be visited at Stanmer Organics open days.
Education
We have been involved in the publication of two books about apples: Apples & Orchards in Sussex and Our Apple Orchards, a book for children. We also use our website to disseminate information about Sussex apple varieties.
If you’re interested in the history of apples, we occasionally host screenings of the film The Origins of the Apple, a documentary which traces the heritage of the modern British apple to the wild apple forests of Kazakhstan.