Field Days & Meetings
* Visitors welcome at all our functions.
This list of events is typical of what you can attend to learn about tree cropping.
Events are advertised by your local branch newsletter, which is included in your membership fee.
PLEASE respect our generous hosts' property and other visitors' peaceful attendance. Bring NO pets.
Beware of health and safety hazards which may exist - children must be supervised. Bring sturdy footwear and suitable clothing. Let's all enjoy our day!
[Go to Current Events]
September 2006
- When:
- Monday 25 September, 7:30pm
- What:
- Grafting Workshop with Stuart Rentoul
- Where:
- Hill Laboratories, 1 Clyde St. Hamilton.
- Details:
- Grafting workshop coming up on monday... well worthwhile picking up these skills so you can start propogating your fruit and nut trees.
Materials for grafting at Hamilton:
Members to bring own grafting knife. Members asked, if possible, to bring chairs to the Grafting Workshop.
August 2006
- When:
- Saturday 26 August 12 noon
- What:
- Propagation Workshop with Stuart Rentoul
- Where:
- The Waikato Research Orchard, State Highway 3, Rukuhia - will be signs posted.
- Details:
- Field day - Meet at 12.00 noon for lunch, followed by instruction by Peter Fraser from 1.00 sharp.
July 2006
Tree and Plant Sale 2006
Saturday 1st July 10.00 am – 1.00pm (approx)
- Everyone welcome (Tell your Friends)
- Many types of trees & plants
- Bring and buy
- Bargains galore
- Some unusual items
- Supported by nurseries and growers from a wide area
- 10% commission on sales to WTCA to fund local research
- Our sale will take place wet or fine.
Stall holders set up from 9:30am
Hamilton Gardens Camellia Carpark Gate2
Enter from Cobham Drive, nearly opposite Grey Street. A short distance down the drive, on the left, is the entrance to the carpark. This is a large sealed area, with room for buyers and sellers to park.
Social Occasion
Even if you don't intend to buy or sell, come along anyway. Dally a while, browse and chat.
Who Can Come
It is open to all. Tell your friends and neighbours about it - they don't need to be members to attend. You can buy or sell, or do a little of both, look, talk trees and ask questions, or just come to find out what it is all about.
What to Bring
Practically anything! Grafted fruit and nut trees. Cuttings of trees and shrubs. Seedlings of all sorts. Garden plants.
What you can buy
Almost anything could turn up on the day. But there will be a solid backstop of good quality grafted fruit and nut trees of all sorts, new and old varieties - including 21 varieties of citrus (including acid free), 3 varieties of plums, heritage and high health apples and hazelnuts, ornamentals, farm trees and natives.
The Unusual
Usually there are some more unusual cropping trees, such as pinenuts, pomegranates and carobs. On occasions we have had macadamias offered, casimiroas and olives. There could also be low chill apricots, persimmons and avocados. We make no promises, but sometimes it happens, so it pays to come along and check out what appears on the day. Remember, always expect the unexpected!
Commission on Sales
10% commission on all sales will be payable on the day. This money will be used for Tree Crop projects within our Waikato Branch area. No site charges.
June 2006
- When:
- Sunday 25th June 2006
- What:
- Mid Winter Feast - shared pot luck lunch and social occasion
- Hosts:
- Nardene & Bevin, Te Pahu Road - will be signs posted
- Details:
- Please bring a main course and nibbles or dessert and your favourite tipple, be it wine (homemade or otherwise) or juice. The committee will provide tea and coffee.
We only have an oven (and fireplace) to reheat dishes (i.e. no microwave).
If possible, bring along something you've made to share from your own tree crop. e.g. fruit cake, mead or whatever.
We have a small orchard with a well established grapevine for wine making, walnut, fig, pear, grapefruit, and apple trees. I have recently planted quince and nectarine, but haven't had a crop from them yet. We have an interesting place, just under 2 acres, with a falling down greenhouse, functional cellar and lots of sheds! It has lots of potential, as it has been "let go" over a period of time.
Well behaved children are welcome, but no dogs please.
You are welcome to bring musical instruments to play later if you so choose.
Please RSVP to Nardene so we have an idea of numbers by the 20th June - thanks!
April 2006
- When:
- Sunday 23 April at 12:30pm
- What:
- Field Day at Bentons, after BYO Lunch
- Where:
- River Road, Ngaruawahia - will be signs posted.
- Details:
- The 2 hectre block runs down to the Waikato river facing the Hakarimata range. It was basically a bare block, with only a large oak, and pine trees along the boundaries. Over the 9 years we have been here we have been planting up a range of trees and plants.
We started with planting natives, 50 kauri among the first to be planted. After originally focusing on just forest restoration we became interested in Permaculture. We grew manuka and tagasaste from seed and planted them throughout the farm. Also eucalyptus, and blackwood for forage, firewood and poles. Following on from that various fruit and nut trees. About 180 olives were planted. Around 20 different varieties to see what would grow well in the Waikato. So far only about three koroneki have had any decent crops on them.
Some of the other fruit and nut trees are macadamia, avocado, plum, peach, almond, figs and pecan. Not everything has done well, but many have flourished. We were not full time on the farm for five or so years so a lot of Darwinism has come into play.
April 2006 - Annual Conference of NZ Tree Crops Association
'Cultivating Biodiversity', Masterton, Wairarapa, 2006 April 7-9
March 2006
- When:
- Saturday 25 March 2006 at 10:00am
- What:
- Field day - Mixed Orchard, trending organic
- Where:
- Graeme & Gladys, Ohinewai North Road - will be signs posted
- Details:
- Field day Programme
10:00 am Arrive. Introductory talk.
10:30 sharp Inspection tour around property.
12:30-ish Lunch (BYO). Tea, coffee etc available.
Features
Graeme & Gladys have 3.8 hectares (9½ acres) of flat river terrace land which is a pumice/sand/silt overlaid with about 250 mm of peat. This soil type is very free-draining and needs irrigation to be productive. Graeme’s regime is 'nearly organic', meaning that he does use some Roundup to control the weeds, but avoids other chemical sprays. For fertiliser he brings in a huge amount of compost, and uses an organic liquid side dressing each month.
Trees
They grow an interesting mix of fruit trees for warmer areas:
- About 2,000 assorted citrus, including Washington Navel Oranges, Tangelos, Grapefruit, Uglifruit, Satsuma Mandarins, Clementine Mandarins, Lemons, and Kumquat.
- About 500 figs, mostly Brown Turkey, Adriatic, Brunswick and Panache, plus an assortment of unnamed varieties. Figs should be ripe and ready to eat when we visit, and Graeme says we may sample the various sorts. Tree-ripened figs are delicious, and those of us from cooler areas seldom have the opportunity appreciate how good they can taste. By the end of March when we visit he will be packing figs for sale, so we will be able to see his procedures.
The figs are mostly grown on an espalier system, but the Parkes have a number of them in Growe Bags as a trial. - Cherries still young trees, also in Growe Bags. Can any of you show us how to prune these?
- An assortment of other home orchard trees not intended to be commercial.
Growing systems to see:
Espalier, Growe Bags, Irrigation, and ‘nearly organic’.
October 2005
- When:
- Sunday 30th October 10.15am
- What:
- “3T’s” Permaculture Gathering near Taupo
- Where:
- Palmer Mill Road north of Taupo - will be signs posted.
- Details:
- Field day - Those of us in the northern end of the Waikato are cordially invited to the “3T’s”. Renowned permaculture teacher, Joanna Pearsall will show us around the inspiring garden of Linda.
Obituary - Peta Parker
It is with regret we record that one of our members, Peta Parker, passed away on 29th July.
Peta was a keen gardener and enthusiastic member, regularly seen at our field days and other functions. She became a hardworking and reliable Branch committee member during 1995 through to 1999, very capably holding the positions of Branch Secretary and Newsletter Editor.
In 1999 it was Peta's misfortune to find she had Multiple Sclerosis, and her health decreased very rapidly, so she had to relinquish her committee involvement. As her mobility declined further she left her home at Tokoroa to become a resident in Cambridge Resthaven Rest Home. She fiercely resented having to give up her gardening and her many craft activities.
The last few years have been particularly difficult for Peta, unable to move and confined to bed, and she appreciated the cards and letters she received and the visits made by friends and family. She is survived by her daughter Jane, son Ian, and four grandchildren.
Maurice Denton
September 2005
- When:
- Monday 5th September,7.30pm
- What:
- Grafting Workshop
- Where:
- Hill Laboratories, Clyde St, Hamilton East - will be signs posted.
- Details:
- Stuart Rentoul will be our instructor. Please bring a sharp Stanley knife or similar and any interesting Plum or Apple scion wood that you may want to graft. Make sure that you label the wood clearly so that we know what variety it comes from. If you are not sure then make up a name like Grannies Best Cooker or Roadside Seedling so that it can be distinguished from other scion wood that will be available on the night. The Branch will provide suitable rootstock and grafting tape if you don't have any. The workshop is very hands-on and it is our aim that everyone should be able to take home at least one tree that they have grafted themselves. Friends and relations welcome and there is no charge.
August 2005
Report on Pruning Instruction
Need to know how to prune fruit trees? Well, you should have been at our pruning demonstration on 14th August.
It was a great day for it, fine, with 23 present, at Pauline Blomfield's place on Ngahinepouri Road. As we drove into Pauline's very well-kept 15 acres, some of us wondered if we would find much to prune. But she had saved that job for the demonstration, and there were all the essential fruit tree species - apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, citrus, grapes, and so on. And there was a good mix of older trees and newer plantings. But first of all, the very hospitable Pauline provided our group with a sumptuous morning tea with fresh home-made scones and savouries.
Our instructor for the day was John Dean. John is our North Island Vice-President, an old hand at tree cropping, and very knowledgeable. Armed with an array of saws, loppers and secateurs for us to use he explained the basic rules of fruit tree pruning, then supervised us as we tried our skills. As he told us, "You could watch a thousand sheep being shorn, but you don't start learning until you've got a handpiece in your hand and a sheep at your feet."
Newcomers to pruning found John's instruction clear and always easy to follow. Some others among us have been pruning trees for years, yet we still picked up many useful tips. The size of the group was ideal - we could all see and hear, and there was plenty of opportunity to ask as many questions as you wanted.
Many thanks to John for his time and sharing his experience; thanks to Nick Empson for arranging the venue. And our sincere thanks to Pauline for her hospitality and allowing us to use her lovely property. (She admitted later that she had been a trifle nervous about allowing us access to her precious trees, but at the end of the day was delighted to have had John's expert advice.)
Maurice Denton
2 July 2005 - Annual Tree and Plant Sale!
- Starts 10:00am
- Everyone welcome (Tell your Friends)
- Many types of trees & plants including avocados and other subtropicals
- Bring and buy
- Bargains galore
- Some unusual items
- A specialist book Honey
- Supported by commercial nurserymen
- 10% commission on sales to WTCA to fund local research
- Our sale will take place wet or fine.
- Hamilton Gardens Camellia Carpark
Enter from Cobham Drive, nearly opposite Grey Street. A short distance down the drive, on the left, is the entrance to No. 3 carpark. This is a large sealed area, with room for buyers and sellers to park. - Social Occasion
Even if you don't intend to buy or sell, come along anyway. Dally a while, browse and chat. - Sausage Sizzle
If buying, selling or talking makes you hungry, you will be able to stoke up on site at our sausage sizzle.
Important Details - Date & Time. Saturday 2 July
Sellers should be getting in place from 9.30 am. Start buying at 10.00 a.m. Most stalls are finished by about 1.00 pm or sooner, so don't be late. -
Venue
Hamilton Gardens Camellia Carpark. Enter from Cobham Drive, nearly opposite Grey St. Look for the signs. -
Who Can Come
It is open to all. Tell your friends and neighbours about it - they don't need to be members to attend. You can buy or sell, or do a little of both, look, talk trees and ask questions, or just come to find out what it is all about. -
What to Bring
Practically anything! Grafted fruit and nut trees. Cuttings of trees and shrubs. Seedlings of all sorts. Garden plants. - What you can buy
Almost anything could turn up on the day. But there will be a solid backstop of good quality grafted fruit and nut trees of all sorts, new and old varieties - including 21 varieties of citrus (including acid free), 11 varieties of plums, heritage and high health apples and hazelnuts, avocados and other subtropicals. Also ornamentals, farm trees, natives, honey etc. Mortimer's Latest Book, Tree Bark will also be on sale. - The Unusual
Usually there are some more unusual cropping trees, such as pinenuts, pomegranates and carobs. On occasions we have had macadamias offered, casimiroas, olives, water chestnuts ...... We make no promises, but sometimes it happens, so it pays to come along and check out what appears on the day. Remember, always expect the unexpected! - Commission on Sales
10% commission on all sales will be payable on the day. This money will be used for Tree Crop projects within our Waikato Branch area. No site charges.
Tree Sale Report
By holding our annual Tree Sale in the depths of winter we know we have to take a chance with the weather. However, we have stuck to holding this event in the winter because it is such a good time for tree planting. The deciduous trees have lost their leaves, and even the evergreens are reasonably dormant. Soil moisture
levels are satisfactory. And, for those who have crops to harvest, this task is over for the season, leaving only winter pruning to be completed.
But this year we were lucky with the weather - July 2nd was fine, even if it was a bit chilly. Tree Crop members and non-members had a huge range of trees available for purchase and there were some great bargains. There were more stall-holders than we have had for a few years, and collectively they had a huge range of fruit trees, nut trees, berry-fruit, unusual plants, natives, shelter trees and ornamentals. Some came with just a few interesting items for sale. Others with trailers or utes loaded to overflowing.
Meanwhile, there were sausages sizzling on the BBQ, and lots of discussions on what was best to plant where. It's not just "another sale" - it's also publicity for Tree Crops, and, for some members of the public, their first opportunity to find out about our Association and what we do.
As a public relations exercise it's a winner, and at the same time we make some money for our Branch to put into newsletters and a number of other projects. Now that most of our expenses of the day have been covered, we know that the Branch profit from the sale is just over $2,000 - a very satisfactory result.
From this profit your Committee has already allocated $1,000 to the Tree Crops Association Research Committee. This contribution has helped establish a new framework for Tree Crops Research. It is not intended to finance any particular research project, but will be used to cover the costs of setting up a new Research
Committee and getting new Research Co-ordinators appointed, job descriptions written, and the various supportive structures in place. Management Committee has done a great job towards these ends at a recent research meeting in Katikati, so you can expect to hear more about Tree Crops research in future copies of your
TreeCropper.
To all who attended the Tree Sale, whether to buy, sell, or just to chat, we extend our sincere thanks. Come again! We have already booked the Hamilton Gardens venue for next year's sale on the first Saturday of July 2006. - Maurice Denton
June 2005
| When: | Saturday 11 June, at 6:30pm |
| What: | Mid-Winter Feast This is still our "Pot-Luck Dinner", as in previous years. Only the name has changed to emphasise that we should all indulge ourselves with lots of good food and good company! |
| Where: |
The place to be next Saturday night is "The Centre", which is the hall next to St Peter's Cathedral at the southern end of Victoria St. There is plenty of off-street parking, and the hall is on the right as you enter the parking area. Look for our Tree Crops sign. The hall is comfortable and warm, and there is a well equipped spacious kitchen for reheating dishes if they cool down en route. |
| Bring: | -
plenty of food to share with others. Contribute a main course plus something else (a desert, or perhaps soup, or nibbles or something to surprise us). If you have 'tree crop foods' available, try to incorporate them in your recipe. Not essential, but we are always keen to learn new ways to serve our produce. For one of your dishes, write the recipe on a display card if you have the time. Some of these may appear in future newsletters. Also your favourite tipple - then you won't feel embarrassed by sampling the drinks that others bring. If you make your own, all the better! Tea, coffee and some fruit juice will be provided by the committee. Own plates, mug, cutlery, tea towel. |
| Details: |
Social occasion No need to hire a baby sitter. Bring the family - kids too. Bring Grandma. Also friends and potential members. All welcome (but bring extra food if you are bringing extra people). And remember, entry is free - there is no door charge! Entertainment As if eating and drinking and talking to good friends wasn't enough! But, yes we do have a guest speaker who will give a short talk and a little demonstration. Not telling who it is - you will have to come along and find out. Time The doors will be opened at 6.00 pm, so we hope to have you all present by about 6.30. We need to be eating by 7.00 so that it won't be a late night. |