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Archive for June, 2013

Fruit starting to show…

Tuesday, June 25th, 2013

Following an interminably chilly spring and almost wall-to-wall cloud, we are at last beginning to get an impression of what might end up in your shopping trolleys later this year.

After the blossom drops, farmers wait anxiously to see if the bees, insects and the wind have done their thing; pollinating the flowers to give them the chance of turning into actual fruits. This transformation is by no means a dead cert, and a wall of blossom – whilst undeniably a lovely sight – doesn’t necessarily equate to a bumper crop in the autumn. Many factors can conspire to reduce a crop to nothing, just as easily as they can help deliver a giant harvest.

As the fruitlets “set”, ie form into something that doesn’t stretch your imagination to think might be an apple one day, we start to see what the coming season might hold for the different varieties we grow.

The feeling so far is one of great regional difference, with some areas reporting a strong set, others average, and some weak. The Cox however, seems to be doing quite well across our area, and has set better than most.

This is Cox at Mark Bruce-Lockhart’s farm at Egerton on 21 June.

The persistent gloom and cold is showing itself in the small size of the apples considering the time of year – in fact those who know about these things are saying they’ve never experienced a season so late. However, farming’s nothing if not a giant game of roulette, and some prolonged warm and sunny weather (ha ha!) might yet turn things round, at least in part.

Fingers crossed, eh?

 

 

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A new face at MKG!

Friday, June 21st, 2013

Mid Kent Growers is pleased to welcome Paul McKinnell to the newly-created position of Fruit Marketing Coordinator. Although new to the fruit sector, Paul joins us with a strong background in agriculture and farm inputs. He’s looking forward to working closely with our growers, promoting MKG’s award-winning produce and contributing to a sustainable future for fruit production in the Garden of England.

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Arthur Houston

Friday, June 21st, 2013

Our most recent member, Arthur is new to the fruit business as the proud owner of Toll Fruit Farm at Egerton, where he grows Cox, Russet and Gala apples.

He is exploring ways of using Toll as a “care farm”; helping those in recovery from addiction or generally struggling in life.

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