Eco Hub • A year in the life of Dorking Community Orchard.

At the Dorking Eco Hub Dorking Community Orchard gave two amazing talks on the project and told the audience about Wassailing.

Hailing from Armagh, Ireland’s ‘orchard county’, apples have always played a big part in my life. My father taught us to always bring an apple when out for a walk, and during the strange days of the pandemic, my daily exercise often led me to Dorking Community Orchard, where I could sit in the sun, safe in the knowledge that – alone in that tucked away space – I wasn’t breaking any rules! I was therefore delighted that the orchard took centre stage at the January Eco Hub. 

Nick Wright, a Community Orchard volunteer, described a year in the life of the orchard, which was established in 2010, and started life as a Transition Dorking initiative. 

Planting takes place in December to February, he explained. Once planted, the young trees are given mulch and surrounded by wire netting, to protect them from wildlife. We heard how ‘deer-height’ netting was originally used, until it was discovered that deer damage is minimal and that the real culprits are rabbits. 

The next stage is pruning, which takes in place in February or March. This is an opportunity to prune the young trees so that they grow the way they need to. The larger trees are pruned to open them up, so that more light gets in, helping reduce the risk of disease. 

May is the month of blossom, although some varieties bloom earlier than others. Work sessions are held at the Community Orchard from April to September. Volunteers weed and maintain the site. 

August is the time for propagation, including chip budding, where a small ‘chip’ of wood containing a single dormant bud from an apple tree is inserted into a notch cut into a rootstock, then secured with tape until it fuses, allowing the bud to grow into a new plant the following spring. 

Picking takes place in September and October – Nick noted that picking season is getting earlier and earlier due to climate change. The apples are put into storage from October to December. Cider making takes place from October to January. Hot cider and mulled apple juice are a popular choice at the Dorking Wassail, held in the orchard each January.

Wassailing photos

Dorking Community Orchard is run entirely by volunteers. The funds needed to equip and maintain it come from sales of fruit and juice (both of which are available from the Food Float), and from pressing apples on behalf of other local orchards. Not only is it a beautiful spot that is open to the public, but it is playing an important role in preserving local, often rare apple varieties. 

Elsewhere, members of the Dorking public could be found swapping unneeded Christmas gifts, decorating ‘gratitude jars’, and making bird feeders.

Author: Tara Craig,
The talks took place in January 2026