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