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Smallholding: Courses

Whip and tongue grafting

Fruit trees do not come true from seed, and one way of propagating an apple/pear/plum tree is by whip and tongue grafting.

Learn this relatively simple technique, and take away two apple trees you have grafted yourself.

  • 2 hours
  • Sunday 10 March 2024, 11am-1pm
  • Sunday 17 March 2024, 11am-1pm
  • £30
Whip and tongue grafting course
Whip and tongue grafting - 2
Whip and tongue grafting - 1

Chip budding

Another way of propagating apple trees is by chip budding. This is another simple technique, but takes place in the summer. Take home an apple tree you have budded yourself.

  • 2 hours
  • Sunday 6th August 2023, 11 to 1 pm
  • £25
Chip budding with James Ellson
Chip budding course with James Ellson

Breeding (Crossing)

  • 2 hours
  • Sunday 30th April 2023, 11 to 1 pm
  • £20
  • To breed a new variety of apple (eg James’s Russet), you have to use hand pollination. Whereas propagating (cloning) a new variety is relatively easy, breeding is ‘rocket science’! But fascinating.
  • Includes: demonstration and a chance to practice hand pollination so you can try breeding a new variety at home

Smallholding Skills

  • by arrangement
  • half day (3 hours)
  • up to 4 people
  • Choose 3 sessions from: keeping chickens / beekeeping / vegetable garden / growing fruit trees
  • Topics could include: inspecting a beehive (wearing a beesuit!) / growing perennials / starting to keep chickens / rearing chicks / growing perennials / scything / grafting / pruning