SLOG Events
SLOG holds practical and interesting events for our members throughout the year including grafting and budding workshops (where you can create your own trees, all materials provided), pruning workshops for both standard and espallier trees, orchard visits, seasonal meetings with guest speakers and members apple pressing days where you can bring your own apples to be pressed (with some volume limits). We also have a stand that tours some of the local fairs and events. You always learn something at a SLOG event!
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
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Saturday 22nd February:
SLOG Grafting Workshop, Growing Well, Sizergh LA8 8AE
2.00–4.30pm.
Graft your own apple & pear trees using M25, MM111, MM106, M26, M9, M27 (the entire apple rootstock range from vigorous to dwarfing) & Quince A (for pears) rootstocks and a wide range of up to 100 scion wood varieties. Led & demonstrated by Hilary Wilson, Phil Rainford & Andy Gilchrist, you can learn to graft your own trees to plant at home. Bring your own Stanley knife (a few will be provided), gardening gloves for protection and a bag to take your grafted trees away to pot up at home. SLOG grafting knives will be available for anybody who does not have their own. Note that the path to the yurts may be muddy. No need to book places – just roll up at 2pm.
Directions: From M6 jnctn 36 go 4 miles on A591 towards Kendal, then A590 Barrow, then shortly on right follow brown signs for Sizergh Castle, then Low Sizergh Barn. From Kendal go 3½ miles south on the A591 then just before the A590 interchange turn left into the car park at Low Sizergh Barn Farm Shop and Tearooms. Park at the far end of the car park and walk over the fields. Rootstocks £2.50 each.
Saturday 1st March:
Working Party at the SLOG Orchard,
10am to 12 noon
We have 1 or 2 tree to remove, a few trees to plant, winter pruning to complete, spreading compost around the trees to fertilise & mulch them, odd bits of restaking & tying in, some top grafting, and a bit of weeding if time permits. All welcome, bring your own secateurs if you have them, though SLOG secateurs & loppers will be available. Also forks & spades for digging out the compost heap and planting.
For directions see SLOG Orchard tab
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Saturday 12th April:
Damson Day at the Westmorland Showground, Crooklands.
10am - 4pm
SLOG stand will be there, come along for a chat and a glass of apple juice.
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Other 2025 dates for your diary:
Wednesday 30th July:
SLOG AGM 7.30pm at Crook Memorial Hall
Saturday 9th August:
Budding & Summer Pruning Workshop, 1.30pm at Growing Well
Apple Press for Sale: Dennis Holland (Secretary Mesnes Park Community Garden) wishes to sell a 23 Litre Vigo hydraulic fruit press which has only been used twice because "The friends of Haigh Walled Garden" have been evicted and have no further use of this press. See: 23 Litre Hydraulic Fruit Press for details. Anybody interested to purchase can email Dennis direct at: mesnesparkcg@gmail.com
Orchard Events
The orchard planting is coming along. A plan of the orchard and its varieties is now available.
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More details are on the SLOG Orchard page.
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If you would like to join the orchard team, please email Andy Andy Gilchrist or call 01539 727772.
We see this as an opportunity to:
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maintain some of the rarer Furness, Cumberland and Westmorland varieties, from which scion wood and/or buds can be provided for propagation
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grow on grafts from unidentified trees to obtain fruit for identification
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evaluate scab-resistant varieties under Cumbrian conditions
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evaluate new rootstocks such as M116
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evaluate the suitability of new varieties for Cumbrian conditions
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etc etc (and it doesn't have to be just apples!)
North Cumbria Orchard Group Events
NCOG events are open to SLOG Members as a reciprocal arrangement.
A link to NCOG events can be found by clicking here:
SLOG Apple Tasting
Gilchrist Gold - Pear from Crook Foot Orchard
Mill Fields Orchard - Crosthwaite
SLOG Apple Pressing