End-of-Summer Pruning

SEASONAL PRUNING AND TRAINING

with JUDY KEATS

Sunday 26 March 2023 - 9:30am to 12:30pm (3 hours)

This workshop with Judy Keats is a seasonal session on how to care for your fruit trees as the summer winds down. Make the most of your summer harvest and sharpen your skills for helping your trees get a jump on the colder months that loom ahead.

Join us for this rare single-session opportunity to learn about and gain in-depth experience with methods for caring for your fruit trees. Help make the most of the time of year and help keep your trees in the best shape to continue thriving successfully for seasons to come!

What to expect:

In this workshop, we will focus on pruning techniques for stone fruit, pip fruit, citrus, and sub tropical tree varieties. The timing is also 'ripe' to train new wood, reduce canopy overcrowding, and help minimise loading on trees so that the quality of your fruit can improve at the same time that risks from pest and disease are reduced. 

Our food forest at Kelmarna will be your outdoor laboratory to practise identifying and using appropriate tools as well as understanding tree morphology and the fruiting habits of various trees. Judy will both guide you through demonstrations and you will have the opportunity to get hands-on to try pruning actions and implement strategies for improving tree health and performance according to foliar programmes and in harmony with understory species in your orchard zone.

Tickets include: Guided instruction, and access to tools and resources for all practical activities onsite

What to bring:

Essential:

• a refillable water bottle (to stay hydrated)
• weather appropriate gear (to keep comfortable)

Recommended:

• a notebook and pen (to take notes, if you like)
• a pair of gloves (for the practical tasks, if you like)
• a pair of protective glasses (for the practical tasks, if you have them)
• a face covering or mask (for indoors or close quarters)

--

Judy Keats is a permaculturist, organic systems educator, and community garden mentor and advisor, with more than 8 years experience establishing, coordinating, and teaching in community gardens across greater Auckland.

Judy is passionate about well-being for people and caring for the environment in which they live. She believes that by observing our plants and our changing climate, we can gain insight and a closer connection to the health of our gardens and broader ecosystems, which she knows to be key to the success and optimal yields of a sustainable food system. Judy is committed to working with communities to foster knowledge and experience towards mastering resilience.

--

At Kelmarna, we strive to make education accessible for everyone. So, where possible, we offer a 35% discount on our workshops to valid Community Services Card holders. If you book one of these tickets, please email us a copy of your valid Community Services Card, and remember to bring it along to the workshop. Please note that this option does not include Super Gold Card holders. Ngā mihi.