Picking at a bowl of freshly harvested black currants, longtime LifeCycles Project volunteer John Errington ruminates on the joys of working in a local, public orchard.
Summer is snacking season in the Welland Community Orchard named for Rex Welland, a late resident who, over two decades, packed more than 100 varieties of apples onto the two-thirds of an acre land, and left it to View Royal in trust – under covenant to remain an orchard. Victoria LifeCycles Project, a non-profit has led upkeep and creation at the orchard since 2013.
“The Welland orchard is a very good connector between the community and our organization. The benefits to us and the environment are equal,” said Julia McDougall, interim executive director of LifeCycles. “People enjoy a third space, but they’re subtly learning the joys of ties to where their food comes from.”
It was that connection to land, learning and his own family history that drew Errington.
“I wanted to learn about heritage, varieties of trees,” he said, of his foray to the park. “You feel like you’re doing something useful preserving heritage varieties.”
A proponent of lifelong learning, grafting quickly became one of his retirement passions. The art of taking root stock and bud or twig and creating a new tree for Welland Community Orchard or his two acres on Thetis Island.
Commercial growers focus on a dozen types of apples with an eye on transport and storage, the View Royal orchard is home to more than 100 varieties, he said.
The work, and the growing grove on Thetis are a throwback to his own heritage.
Errington’s grandparents came from England in 1907 and bought an orchard in North Saanich near the airport. There they grew kings apples, still found all over the region and a species called wealthy.
Now, Errington shares what he’s learned through the orchard, leading the occasional workshop.
And while “all grafting is not successful” he boasts four of four of them surviving during a small teaching session recently. Attending workshops is part of his seasonal plan, particularly learning about summer pruning.
That is a skill and an art, says orchard coordinator River Stevens.
“You have to visualize what you want to see the tree look like now and what you want it to look like next year,” they said, adding “they’ll do what they want.”
Phanh Nguyen moved to Greater Victoria in January and started volunteering in the spring, in particular to learn pruning.
“I really like it because I don’t know too much about taking care of fruit trees and River is knowledgeable, they are very welcoming,” said Nguyen who plans to continue hands-on practise at the orchard.
While the workshops are a favourite, even just the garden itself, and the visitors are a draw.
“They have the native plant corner that is blooming right now and is very pretty. Also the fact there are so many different varieties of trees and the opportunity to learn about them,” Nguyen said. “I think I like all aspects of it.”
Errington and Nguyen also enjoy the camaraderie aspect.
“It’s easy to talk to people when you garden,” Nguyen said, noting the variety of people who come through the space.
It’s truly a community amenity, Errington agreed.
“A lot of people walk through here,” he said, noting the public comes to pick apples, visit, sit, and taste.
“We’re in snacking season. We’re getting the first tastes of things,” Stevens said.
Plants ready and ripe for eating are marked with orange flagging tape. Signage on the shed also indicates when things are ready and what to expecting coming soon.
Cherries and berries are early crops, but don’t pick the figs – they’re not ready.
