SLOG Events
SLOG holds practical and interesting events for our members throughout the year including grafting and budding workshops (where you can create your own trees, all materials provided), pruning workshops for both standard and espallier trees, orchard visits, seasonal meetings with guest speakers and members apple pressing days where you can bring your own apples to be pressed (with some volume limits). We also have a stand that tours some of the local fairs and events. You always learn something at a SLOG event!
FORTHCOMING EVENTS ​
​Saturday 21st March: SENS Grafting Workshop, Staveley Institute (beside the playground) 9am - noon. If you missed the first workshop, here is a second chance (see poster above). Note that numbers are limited so prior booking is required.
Saturday 11th April: Damson Day at the Westmorland Showground, Crooklands, LA7 7NH. Close to M6 Junction 36. From 10am to 4pm. A multitude of activities, food stands & trade stands. SLOG stand will be there with our brand new multipictorial tent and display boards, come along for technical advice or just a chat and a glass of apple juice. Any members who are willing to help on the stand for an hour or two would be very welcome and have their entry fee refunded, just advise Dick Palmer at dickrhonapalmer@gmail.com so we can organise a schedule.
Sunday 10th May: Blossom walk at Halecat Orchards: Meet and park cars at Tom & Abi's Halecat Nursery, Witherslack LA11 6RT at 2pm then Adele will lead us through several of the many old & young orchards on the Halecat Estate. Directions: From Bretargh Holt roundabout follow A590 direction Barrow and take the Witherslack turning on the right. Pass the Derby Arms and take the left turn in the village centre. Follow the brown signs for Halecat Garden Centre. Google map link here
Other 2026 dates for your diary:
Sometime in July: Working Party at the SLOG Orchard for fruit thinning (assuming a good fruit set!)
Wednesday 29th July: SLOG AGM 7.30pm at Crook Memorial Hall
Saturday 8th August: Budding & Summer Pruning Workshop, 1.30pm at Growing Well
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Ladders: SLOG has a Niwaki tripod 8ft ladder available for hire to members. Winter pruning season is underway and bigger older trees may need some work at height. It is dangerous to climb into trees and household ladders are unstable, so contact Dick Palmer to hire the right tool for the job: email: dickrhonapalmer@gmail.com tel: 01229 716095. Hire is £10 per use, whether a day or a week.​
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North Cumbria Orchard Group Events
NCOG events are open to SLOG Members as a reciprocal arrangement.
A link to NCOG events can be found by clicking here:
Orchard Events
The orchard planting is coming along. A plan of the orchard and its varieties is now available.
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More details are on the SLOG Orchard page.
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If you would like to join the orchard team, please email Andy Andy Gilchrist or call 01539 727772.
We see this as an opportunity to:
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maintain some of the rarer Furness, Cumberland and Westmorland varieties, from which scion wood and/or buds can be provided for propagation
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grow on grafts from unidentified trees to obtain fruit for identification
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evaluate scab-resistant varieties under Cumbrian conditions
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evaluate new rootstocks such as M116
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evaluate the suitability of new varieties for Cumbrian conditions
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etc etc (and it doesn't have to be just apples!)
Apple Blossom - from Halecat Orchard
SLOG Annex Orchard - Mill Fields
SLOG Apple Pressing Events