Winter in the dormant orchard.

We’ve just come our of a lovely fresh clean cold spell here in early January. We were expecting to see some snow but it didn’t materialise. We had a week of hardy, bright cold weaher and frost. The coldest temperature was minus 4.5 C which is pretty cold for Castlebellingham, given that we’re so close to the sea.

It’s an interesting time in the orchard. We have started pruning apple trees and straightening up some trees that have bent over in the wind and under the weight of heavy crops. We faced the hedges in the Twobridge with a flail cutter just before Christmas and now it’s easier for us to get at the Ash and Sycamore poles in the hedgerow. We’re selecting forked branched to make props for the trees. A few months of root growth in the propped up position will help the trees to stay upright.

In the cold Irish winter, a dormant cider apple orchard undergoes subtle yet significant changes. The apple trees enter a state of dormancy to conserve energy, stopping visible growth and devoting resources to maintenance and survival. Their sap flow slows dramatically, leaf buds remain tightly closed, and the leaves that provided shade and nourishment have mostly fallen to the ground, returning essential nutrients to the soil as they decompose. We lost a good few apples to Strom Ashleigh in October 2024 and some of these are decomposing on the ground too. It’s all good nourishment for future crops. Beneath the surface of the orchard, the root systems continue to function at a reduced rate, taking up minimal water and nutrients, but still preparing for the coming growing season.

The ecosystem around these dormant trees also adapts to the cold weather. Many insects look for shelter under bark or in little piles of leaf litter to survive the harsh conditions. Earthworms and soil microbes remain active, though at a slower pace, contributing to the breakdown of organic matter. Birds, like robins, thrushes and blackbirds, forage for bits of fruit and insects, helping to distribute seeds and maintain balance within the orchard.