New fruit trees to be planted in Kent by AC Goatham & Son in autumn 2019

SPONSORED EDITORIAL

As the growing cycle for apples and pears comes to an end with harvest each autumn, the life cycle of a commercial orchard continues and the winter period is one of the most important times.

The darker days and longer nights mean many of us are outside a lot less at this time of year, preferring to stay tucked up inside. The orchard team at AC Goatham & Son, however, are busy outside with much to do.

The largest programme of tree planting by AC Goatham & Son will get underway in the county this autumn.
The largest programme of tree planting by AC Goatham & Son will get underway in the county this autumn.

November is the time to start planting new trees.

This winter, they will be planting around 320,000 new fruit trees in Kent, taking the total planted over the last seven years to well over 1.5 million.

Their 25 farms currently cover an area equal to 11 Bluewater Shopping centres - including all of the car parks - or 1,698 football pitches.

And if you include all the miles of native trees Goatham’s plant for hedging around their orchard boundaries and inside for windbreaks each year, then it is little wonder that they are one of the largest tree planters in the UK and the biggest in the county.

The new commercial orchards have the objective to grow as much quality fruit as possible and have a lifespan of around 20 years.

The first signs of spring apples blossom at Turkey Hall Farm.
The first signs of spring apples blossom at Turkey Hall Farm.

This means you will see smaller trees around 1.8-2.4m in height which are densely planted in long rows.

This makes it more efficient to move Goatham’s modern machinery and equipment around.

The business now grows more fruit per tree and more trees per acre than would have traditionally been grown in the past.

Newer fruit varieties are being grown to meet ever changing consumer demand and these are also more uniform in shape, size and colour.

They also develop at the same rate, making it easier to harvest which is all still done by hand and leaving less waste.

British Royal Gala apples harvested in Kent.
British Royal Gala apples harvested in Kent.

Weather plays a huge role in the life of a commercial orchard.

Trees need a period of dormancy to go to sleep during the winter months and for the leaf and fruit buds to form in the spring, a minimum number of chill hours are needed.

Apples need a minimum of 820 hours and pears 620 hours at temperatures below 7.2C.

Our climate is changing and we have recently seen warmer winters with heavier rain, which can cause waterlogging in the orchards.

An earlier spring or a stop start spring with late frosts can lead to poor fruit setting.

Newer fruit varieties are being grown to meet ever changing consumer demand and these are also more uniform in shape, size and colour.
Newer fruit varieties are being grown to meet ever changing consumer demand and these are also more uniform in shape, size and colour.

Prolonged hot summers can cause a variety of issues such as premature fruit drop and root stress, whilst wetter summers can increase problems such as skin scab or cause fruit to rot.

Hail, meanwhile, can devastate a fruit farmer’s whole crop in a matter of minutes.

Getting the structure and planting of our new orchards right, in the unique Goatham’s way can help overcome some of these climate issues, but that takes a significant and sustained level of investment.

Back in 2007, the sale of some of the company’s farmland for much needed local housing in Medway provided the funding to invest back into the business. Goatham’s went from farming 45 acres to 2,830 acres, and from growing fruit on 25,000 trees to over 2 million trees. If you put all 2 million new trees side by side they would stretch from London to Glasgow five and a half times!

Goatham's is also bringing to life many new orchards across Kent, such as the once derelict 175 acres at Turkey Hall Farm on the Hoo Peninsular.

The once derelict 175 acres at Turkey Hall Farm have been brought back to life by Goatham's.
The once derelict 175 acres at Turkey Hall Farm have been brought back to life by Goatham's.
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