Apley Walled Garden news

Inside the latest polytunnel in Apley Walled Garden

New polytunnel in Apley Walled Garden

It’s fantastic news that Phil Allen has just finished another polytunnel in Apley Walled Garden, enabling him to be able to produce even more throughout the winter months for Apley Farm Shop & its Creamery Café.

He’s off to the Ludlow Food Festival this Sunday 13^th September. He’ll be on stage at about 3pm with Suree Coates of The King & Thai [award winning restaurant in Broseley, Shropshire] as she cooks using our Apley Walled Garden vegetables.

On Friday 2nd October, Phil is giving a talk in aid of Hope House Hospice at the Hundred House Hotel. The hotel’s chef Stuart Phillips is demonstrating, using Apley Walled Garden produce. Currently 64 tickets have been sold. To book yours, call the hotel on 01952 730 353.

Phil is timing as much of his produce to be perfect for the Apley Taste Off (Harvest Food Festival) on Saturday 26 September. Planning is also well underway for the Spookley Pumpkin Festival, although fat hen (a rampant weed!) is taking over the pumpkin patch again !

Phil is also updating the hanging baskets at Apley Farm Shop in our lovely courtyard there, using Apley Plant Centre plants of course (I’ll also be off there to see Melanie this weekend to choose some for my window box).

Jennie in Apley Estate Office is helping Phil keep up to date with invoices, so we keep track on what Apley Walled Garden is producing, how much & where it’s being bought & used & by whom. We principally supply Apley Farm Shop & its Creamery Café. Phil also grows to order for the Hundred House Hotel in the Apley Estate village of Norton (metres from the Farm Shop), the King & Thai restaurant in Broseley & sometimes the University of Wolverhampton. We’re also currently looking at supplying local producers of chutneys & sauces with our unusual varieties, unavailable elsewhere.

It’s an abundant time of year, refected in his current crop report: Artichokes, Aubergines, Basil (lemon basil), Beans (borlotti), Beans (French, green), Beans (green runner), Beans (purple runner), Beans (Dwarf French purple Teepee), Beetroot (several varieties), Carrots (Dragon purple), Carrots (orange Eskimo & Barlicum), Chard (Swiss, Perpetual Spinach, Rainbow Mixed), Chicory (Palla Rossa), Courgettes (first pickings of Apley’s own hybrid courgettes), Cucumbers (Crystal lemons – round, yellow cucumbers), Cucumbers (Femspot), Fennel bulbs (Romanesco & bronze fennel), Fennel (Sweet Florence), Flowers (edible, violas & sunflowers), Garlic (Purple), Herbs (basil – purple, Thai, lemon, giant leaf & sweet), Herbs (chives & garlic chives), Herbs (spearmint, mint & pineapple mint), Herbs (curly leaf parsley), Herbs (Thyme), Herbs (coriander), Herbs (rosemary), Herbs (sage), Herbs (sorrel), Herbs (Welsh onion herbs), Kale (curly kale), Leeks (Zermatt, baby leeks), Lettuce (mixed leaf salad & new fire red lettuce), Onions (cooking, red), Onions (cooking, white), Oriental veg (Amaranth, Pakchoi, Indian Mustard), Peppers (Apache, Beauty Belle, Hungarian Black & Long Red Marconi), Plums, Potatoes (Pink fir apple), Potatoes (Picasso), Pumpkins (Thai), Radishes (Sparklers & French Breakfast), Rhubarb, Shallots (banana), Spinach (Missouri & Red Kitten), Spring onions (White Lisbon), Squash (bon bon), Squash (cha cha), Squash (ucheki) & Tomatoes (heritage)

Even though this year’s summer is fading, walled garden tours can be booked at any time of year for a minimum of 10 people, booked in advance (contact details required) through the Farm Shop office 01952 730 345 (option 6) or by emailing enquiries@apleyfarmshop.co.uk. The gardens are strictly private at all times. All tours are guided by Head Gardener Phil Allen.