Under the umbrella of The Green Gathering tree event organised by Petersfield Town Council last Saturday at The Avenue Pavilion, PeCAN distributed 250 fruit trees as part of our A Fruit Tree in Every Garden project. At other venues around East Hampshire, including Alton, Havant, Liss, Liphook and Rowlands Castle, a further 300 were distributed to fortunate customers.
This brings the total number of fruit trees that have been planted across East Hampshire since this project began life in 2021, to more than 3,500!
Mill Farm Trees supplied healthy two year-old bare rooted apple, pear, cherry, plum, greengage and filbert (cobnut) varieties. Some customers collected one tree while some had ordered as many as five, which sometimes presented a challenge while packing them into car-boots. Most trees were to be planted in private gardens, while some were destined for pubic open spaces. 18 PeCAN volunteers worked hard all morning matching customers to their trees and organising the pick-ups.
The Green Gathering also served as an information hub, with tree experts Phil Paulo and Andy Moffat on hand, to explain how to plant and care for a young fruit tree in its first few years. As well as Petersfield Town Council, Petersfield Community Garden, the Tree Squad, Tree Wardens, and Hampshire & IOW Wildlife Trust were all represented.
Petersfield Town Council ran a hedge and tree planting session on the site which culminated in 380 hedgerow whips being planted by a great team of volunteers, including local Tree Wardens. The Town Council's distribution of more free native trees for residents gardens was also successful, with 97 whips given away.
Thank you to our wonderful volunteers, and collaborating groups: ACAN, ALFI, Alton Men’s Shed, HeadleyCAN, LipCAN, and Rowland's Castle Gardening Club!
Find PeCAN's tree planting guide, plus seasonal care tips and further resources, here.