Portobello Community Orchard

11/10/2026

A REMINDER:
We shall be holding our Apple Day at the orchard on SATURDAY, 17 OCTOBER from 2-4 pm.

We shall be pressing apples and tasting the juice as usual.
There will be local, jams and chutneys for sale; different varieties of apples to taste and for sale and - hooray! - Portobello Apple juice is back this year.

Refreshments will be available, with tea, coffee and home baking plus a bonfire and games for children, in other words, a fun afternoon out for all the family.

All stalls are CASH ONLY so please remember to bring cash, preferably in small denominations.

ALL WELCOME - SEE YOU THERE!

26/09/2026

Lovely in the Donkeyfield community Orchard this morning. A happy crew . There were 10 of us clearing round the trees and picking apples to store for Apple Day on 17th October..

20/09/2026

It's our orchard workday on Saturday 26 September, from 10 am to 1 pm.

We'll be clearing around the trees, tackling the weeds and picking some apples to store for Apple Day.

There will be a break for refreshments and a chat as usual. Please bring gloves and hand tools if you have them.

We look forward to seeing you there.

09/09/2026

A DATE FOR YOUR DIARY!

We shall be holding our Apple Day at the orchard on SATURDAY, 17 OCTOBER from 2-4 pm.

We shall be pressing apples and tasting the juice as usual.
There will be local, jams and chutneys for sale, and different varieties of apples to taste. Also - hooray! - there will be Portobello Apple juice this year.

Refreshments will be available, with tea, coffee and home baking plus a bonfire and games for children, in other words, a fun afternoon out for all the family.

ALL WELCOME - SEE YOU THERE

02/09/2026

A REMINDER
It's the PEDAL AGM and TCV talk tomorrow, THURSDAY 3 SEPTEMBER, AT 7.30 PM in the Baptist Church cafe, 189 Portobello High Street, EH15 1EU.
After the short AGM formalities there will be a talk by Matt Orwin of The Conservation Volunteers (TCV). TCV have been helping us at the community orchard, including making a lovely new table, which you can see in the photo.
TCV Scotland offers a wide range of environmental activities in Central Scotland for people from different backgrounds, ages and abilities to help protect and enhance our local greenspaces and biodiversity.
Participants learn new skills, improve their physical and mental health, and engage with like-minded people. TCV are also committed to providing a diverse range of training and learning opportunities, including a training programme for 16-24 year olds. If you know anyone in this age range who might be interested in such opportunities, please share this information with them.
For more information, please follow this link: https://www.tcv.org.uk/scotland/?gad_source=1...

SEE YOU THERE - ALL WELCOME

30/08/2026

It was a lovely warm, sunny day at the orchard yesterday and we had a good turnout so got lots done.

We continued trying to clear bindweed and brambles, which were threatening to overwhelm some of the trees. Some repair work was done to the dead hedge at the top of the site.

We picked up a few windfalls for cooking and some apples to store for Apple Day. We also picked brambles and there are lots more coming if you don’t mind getting a few scratches along the way.

Some bag hooks were added to the underside of the new table, which we really enjoyed using for our refreshment break. This also meant there was actually room to sit down on the benches, which are usually cluttered with flasks, cups, biscuits, etc!

25/08/2026

The young people on the TCV (The Conservation Volunteers) outdoor skills programme made a lovely new table for the orchard last week.

If you would like to hear more about TCV's work and the training programmes they offer for people of all ages, including a prgramme specifically for yong people aged 16 - 24, please come along to the PEDAL AGM and TCV talk on 3 SEPTEMBER, AT 7.30 PM in the Baptist Church cafe

For more information about TCV please follow this link: https://www.tcv.org.uk/scotland/?gad_source=1...

Please share this information with anyone you think might be interested in coming along

ALL WELCOME - SEE YOU THERE!

23/08/2026

It is our next work day at the orchard on SATURDAY 29 AUGUST FROM 10 AM TO 1 PM.

We shall be clearing around and checking the trees, chopping down perennial weeds, cutting back brambles (there may be some to taste!) and removing bindweed.

We will have a break for refreshments and a chat as usual.

Please bring gloves and hand tools if you have them.

We look forward to seeing you there.

15/08/2026

Orchard is looking beautiful. Fruit is starting to ripen. A message is up on the notice board about when to pick.
I am looking forward to Apple day

10/08/2026

Come along to our AGM to hear more about the work of the lovely people from TCV who have been helping us out at the orchard over the last few months.

A wide range of activities to help all protect and enhance our local greenspace and biodiversity whilst learning new skills, getting fit and meeting people.