March 2025

Published on March 1, 2025.

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How does the Rivers Heritage Orchard produce the Autumn Fruit Harvest?

The answer to this question is - by careful tending! It is as we know a Community Orchard in Sawbridgeworth on the site of a small slice of the former Rivers Nursery, and it produces fruit for all to help pick and enjoy.

The growing year has already started. From the wonderful Wassail singing of school students from Leventhorpe and Herts and Essex, that blessed the trees on 25 January in the old rural tradition, the focus on harvest begins. Now as the dormant period ends, careful tree pruning is the current task. Th aim is to cut away the dead or diseased or crossing limbs to form a shape open to light and air. The trees are readied for bloom and stand outstretched to attract pollinators for fruit development. There is a very good full description of good pruning practice on our website in our website in our site management plan, which you can download or view in the Policies section of our committee page. Use it to guide you in your own garden!

Who does this work in the orchard? It is of course Volunteers who like being outside, developing skills, working with others and making a contribution to keeping local countryside a living testament to the rural past.



Keith, one of the RHSO volunteers, pruning the apple trees in 2025. One of our other volunteers, Lanier pruning apple trees in 2025.

Come join in! First Sunday of every month. Tools and guidance provided. See the main RHSO website for details!

This Months Articles

This month there are two articles, the first by Elizabeth Waugh and the second by Colin Gill. Elizabeth’s is about the history of the naming process, Colin’s describes how to get 19th century varieties into a 21st century orchard.

Next Event

We are working towards our Celebration Day on April 26 - a special event for the 300th year. There will be talks and discussion, walks and lunch, all providing opportunities to see the heritage of Rivers from a broad perspective of fruit growing in English gardens. Audley End with its authentic Rivers Orchard House will be linked to this event.

It will be a free event but booked through Eventbrite to manage numbers.

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