Kent topfruit growerAC Goatham & Son has this year planted nearly a quarter of a million new trees at its orchards in Medway, Swale and East Kent.
The producer’s team, led by production manager Peter Bukowski, has now finished hand planting the 220,000 new trees, which span varieties such as British Royal Gala, Cameo, Conference pears and an undisclosed new apple variety.
The new orchards will be completed in the New Year with the addition of pollinator trees, which will be planted at regular intervals along each row to encourage bees and beneficial pollinating insects into the orchards.
Clive Goatham, senior partner at AC Goatham & Son, said: “I’m very proud of the fantastic work by our production team – it is an amazing achievement and has been brilliantly managed. Given the poor weather conditions recently, I think this is the greatest result by this time of the year that our team has ever managed.
“My sincere thanks to all those guys involved, no doubting the fact they have worked extremely hard.”
Apple growers plant new orchards in the winter months once harvesting has finished and while the trees are dormant, however bad weather often hampers new plantings, especially large-scale operations like this one.
Over the last few years AC Goatham & Son has planted more than 1.5m new trees, helping to increase the production of British apples and pears and thus reducing the need for imports.
AC Goatham & Son has 28 farms across Medway and Kent, growing around 250m apples and 50m pears for sale at supermarkets across the UK.
