Stockingstone Road Allotments orchard

Located on the west-facing slope of the Stockingstone Road Allotment Association site, this orchard is well-stocked with productive apple, hazelnut, pear and plum trees for members of the association to enjoy.

Summary

Location: High Town
Size: 0.09ha
Number of trees: 26
Crops: apple, filbert, gage, hazel, pear, plum, quince
Age of trees: established trees, planted 2008
Access: no public access. This orchard is only open to members of the Stockingstone Allotment association, but you can visit once a year on the annual open day, usually around the first Saturday of September. For details, visit Stockingstone Road Allotment Association.
Natural England incremental ID: BEDF0427

History

The Stockingstone Road Allotment Orchard was planted in 2008 by Luton Council's Parks service and plotholders on the land of former plots. Allotments have been on this site at least as far back as the 1878 OS County Series map.

Plotholders supplied this scan of the original map - some of these trees no longer exist, and it appears to be a little out of sync with what is on the ground. Luton Orchards is working on identifying the cultivars.

The earliest map we could find showing the names of the cultivars that were planted - author unknown. Some trees no longer exist and the map is slightly out of sync with what is on the ground.

A young helper making sure a tree stake is correctly positioned. Photo source: Rick Donnelly, Luton Council Parks and Countryside Service.

FA framed photo showing the young orchard a few years later, still well-mulched.

A photo of the planting day on 13 December 2008. Note the good ground preparation and the generous amount of mulching to help the trees establish. The people in this photograph have not yet been identified.
Photo source: Rick Donnelly, Luton Council Parks and Countryside Service.

The orchard shown on the left of the 2011 information board that still stands on the site.

List of crop types and cultivars at the Stockingstone Road Allotment Association orchard

By 2024, this orchard consisted of 26 trees.

The varieties grown are still being identified. Only the cultivars with a full tag number have been confirmed:

Apples

Tag Planting date Cultivar

TBC 2008 Beauty of Bedford

6745 2008 Bramley's Seedling

TBC 2008 Laxton's Delicious

TBC 2008 Laxton's Early Crimson

6746 2008 Egremont Russet

6755 2008 Laxton's Exquisite

TBC 2008 Duchess of Bedford

6758 2008 Earl Cowper

TBC 2008 Hambling's Seedling

TBC 2008 Laxton's Peerless

TBC 2008 Laxton's Pioneer

TBC 2008 Laxton's Superb

6748 2008 Lord Lambourne

TBC 2008 Owen Thomas

TBC 2008 Pam's Delight

Cherries

6744 2008 Sweet Cherry

Pears

TBC 2008 Beurre Bedford

TBC 2008 Laxton's Early Crimson

6766 2008 Warden

TBC 2008 Laxton's Record

Nuts

TBC 2008 Corylus Ennis (Hazel)

TBC 2008 Corylus Cosford (Filbert)

Plums

TBC 2008 Goldfinch

TBC 2008 Laxton's Gage

TBC 2008 Damson Merryweather

Other

6747 2008 Quince

A medlar used to grow in the orchard, but the tree did not survive the 2021 season. Apart from the trees in the orchard, there are many smaller fruit trees on individual plots within the allotment, which will aid pollination and increase the habitat value of the site.

Hazelnuts cracked by squirrels.

Apple tree in blossom - with a nice layer of mulch spread around the base.

Trees in this orchard were tagged as part of the Luton Orchards project.

Maintenance and pruning

Pruning courses have been taking place at this orchard since at least 2020, when Bedfordshire-based fruit tree expert Colin Carpenter was brought in to help get the work started. Further courses were taught by Sal Wileman from the East of England Apples and Orchards Project. Plotholders have carried out weeding and mulching during the allotment association's work days on the site's communal areas. Overall, the trees were in fair condition, but deer and strimmer damage was and is a problem.

The orchard lost a plum tree that split under the weight of the fruit, likely due to lack of formative pruning in its early years. It was a sad lesson to teach us to look after our young trees, so that they develop a strong and balanced framework.

Summer pruning with Sal Wileman of the East of England Apples and Orchards Project (left) and plotholders.

Trying to rescue a plum tree that split along the main trunk.

A pruning course in 2020 with fruit tree expert Colin Carpenter (foreground). Also pictured: Luton Council Horticultural Coordinator and organiser of the course, Sam Mostyn-Willis.