Castle fruit Farm Open Sunday
- At June 06, 2019
- By info@Bentleys
- In News, On the Farm
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This Sunday June 9th. Guided walks round our beautiful and bountiful orchards. Bug, Botany and Birds walks
Observation Bee Hive, Moth Trap – lots of juice and cakes !
10.30am – $pm
LEAF Farm Open Sunday June 9th 2019
- At May 29, 2019
- By info@Bentleys
- In News, On the Farm
0
Come and see a working commercial fruit farm which also wins awards for its care of the environment.Including Guided walks, and Bees, Birds and Moths as special interest sessions.
Sunday June 9th between 10.30am and 4pm at Castle Fruit Farm on the B4215 between Newent and Dymock. More information to follow here and on our Facebook page. Weather looking good ! Apple Juice and cake and teas available.
Spring is round the corner
- At March 04, 2018
- By info@Bentleys
- In All, News, On the Farm
1

Wow ! So pleased to find such a large snakeskin in the garden.
Castle Fruit Farm High Spots in 2017.
- Successful growing and harvesting season.Bumper crops thanks to our great team here and our summer family of harvest workers.
- Richie and Claire have added a new Baby Bentley,baby Maddie to the team.
- Having our work recognised by several awards this year.
- Seeing signs of increasing diversity of natural life on the farm
- Taking part in the Ledbury Food Group photo year project.
- Working with our new partner Prima Fruit was a pleasure and a success for both parties
Challenges for 2018:
The impact of Brexit is still unclear both for our farm and all others who need seasonal labour. Listening to the current debate, not much has changed and there has been very little response from the government, who do not appear to understand the consequences to the rural economy, food security and the survival of our agricultural and horticultural sector.
- Harvest seasonal labour is not an immigration issue! It is a result of Brexit.
- Our thriving horticultural and agricultural businesses are an important part of the rural economy. If we no longer invest and disappear , the knock on effect on the rural economy would be significant.
- Food security : the less we grow , the more we import and everything that means for all of us : prices, the satisfaction of knowing where our food comes from among many.
- The answers are not mechanisation – this may help in the future but is not an answer to this issue now.
- There will never be the numbers of skilled harvest workers available locally. The industry requires 1000s of workers for intense seasonal work – this does not fit the profile of those seeking work in UK as it did in the past where mainly women and itinerant workers were our harvesters. All first world countries bring in seasonal labour to harvest their produce
- Our conclusion is there is a clear need for the introduction of an updated Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme-and fast as the growing season is starting
As we put on another jumper or two (or three)it is concerning that our first workers of the season are rightly nowhere to be seen and yet in 3 weeks the first blossom should be appearing requiring that army of pollinators which starts the wonderful process of fruit development. Help ! Global weather patterns are different this year and we can only hope our vast numbers of hoverflies, bees, and other pollinators are going to come out of the woodwork and temperatures will rise.

Bentleys Fruit Farm Orchard Blossom coming soon!
And so no doubt the challenges will continue in 2018 and we will endeavour to surmount them. Increasingly we are focussing on building the biodiversity on the farm with bug hotels, log piles, pollinator seed mixes, bird boxes and small mammal refuges.We must work with nature as it is our responsibility to hand on this orchard land in good heart to the next generation.
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Award number three! Waitrose Farming Partnership
- At November 30, 2017
- By Richard Bentley
- In News, On the Farm
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Michael & Christiana Bentley of Castle Fruit Farm were winners at the 2017 Waitrose Farming Partnership Annual Conference, in the category ‘Farm Risk Assessment’, for their work encouraging biodiversity in a commercially successful orchard.
Read here to find out more about our work to promote biodiversity and to create a sustainable future for our farm. Or get in touch to find out more about our sustainably produced apples, pears, plums and juices.
The latest buzz – recognition for helping pollinators in Gloucestershire
- At November 20, 2017
- By Richard Bentley
- In News, On the Farm
0

Bentleys Castle Fruit Farm Orchard Bee
We are thrilled to announce that Castle Fruit Farm was recently awarded the 2017 Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) Silver Pintail Trophy in recognition of our commitment to sustainable agricultural practices and wildlife protection! This year, the Gloucestershire award was focused on creating food and habitats for pollinators, through a range of interventions and land management practices. Over recent years, there has been a dramatic decline of bumblebees and other pollinators, and two bumblebee species have gone extinct since the start of the 20th century.
As a family business growing fruit and preparing hand-made apple and pear juice, we are committed to cultivating the land to ensure biodiversity for generations to come. This means that wherever possible we use natural, biological and cultural methods to control pest, disease and weeds thus minimising the use of agrochemicals.
The farm, near Newent in north Gloucestershire, has a microclimate that is ideal for orchard fruit. Stonefruit, in particular, can be affected by early frosts and the form and situation of Castle Fruit Farm enable the reliable production of plums and gages. Pollination is key to good cropping in orchard fruit, and pollinators are key to the health of the ecosystem, supporting the lives of many other species. The diversity of pollen and nectar flowers, combined with overwintering habitat, are vital for maintaining good insect numbers. To this end, we are doing the following:
- Rotational hedgerow cutting, every two or three years, to yield more and varied spring blossom
- Improving diversity in the shelter belts by including maple, hazel, goat and grey willow, wild privet and small-leaved lime
- Establishing more wildflower species in any undisturbed areas
- Drilling clover, and other hardy leguminous herbs into grass alleys
- Leaving every alternate orchard row unmown to encourage the diversity of plants and habitats for insects
- Planting goat willow around the lakes
- Woodpiles and other overwintering materials are left where they will not be disturbed to provide habitat for fauna and insects
- We have established a species-rich pollen and nectar mix in the middle of an orchard area
A study has already shown that there are high numbers of pollinators in our orchards.
We are doing many other things, too, such as experimenting with the use of wood chips to prevent soil erosion and using locally sourced green waste compost to improve soil organic matter contents. We have installed solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the cold store roofs and barn which contributes to a saving of electricity from the grid. A device has been installed in the farmhouse which diverts any surplus PV generated electricity into heating the water; in effect a way of storing energy. We are always open to receiving visitors and sharing our vision for sustainable fruit production with schools and community groups.
We will continue to create and improve habitats for beneficial insects within the orchard and continue our policy of developing diverse habitats in and around our orchards.
You can read more about the FWAG Silver Pintail Trophy here.
Support our efforts in sustainable farming by purchasing our delicious fruit and cold-pressed juices from our Farm Shop today!
Harvest Part 2.
- At September 27, 2017
- By info@Bentleys
- In On the Farm
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Harvest is half way through ! The plums have all been picked and packed and sold and the conveyor was put into storage and a cheer went up from Mr B and Damian our packhouse manager. It has been a good year but as you may have noticed Autumn came early , the chill was in the morning air by August 8th and this hastened all fruit into ripeness. Clive and the teams worked long hard hours to get the plums in and now the apples are following fast and earlier than usual.The packhouse worked hard to pack and despatch 147 tons of plums….
In the case of the plums the trees were picked several times to ensure that the plums were ripe enough but with enough shelf life to last in store. Many growers pick their plums bullet hard which never become a sweet delicious plum. This leaves many plum buyers disappointed and put off English plums whereas Waitrose specifies their plums from us must be nearly ripe. Our pickers are very carefully supervised and the whole process more costly but more satisfying.

Putting away the plum conveyor belt for another year

Cox Lavera ready for picking and storing

Pears many of which are small and do not conform
So now to apple harvest. First were the Delbar , next Smitten and Elstar. Conference pears are safely in. A good crop but with lots of pears of the wrong shape…. We are given very precise specifications for pears which sadly reflect the unwillingness of the customers to eat all pear shapes. Packaging helps this by including in the bag varying pears – all tasty but definitely some more shapely than others! Fruit with Attitude…These pears are destined for juice.. award winning Pear Juice however so a good use. Nevertheless we should all be working for less fruit and food waste.
Apples are again picked according to their starch levels and colour as the first pick apples go into store to be trickled out over the next months. Trickled out because we do not grow enough English apples to fulfil the home demand and supermarket buyers are easily tempted by highly coloured fruit from Europe. Our Fruit growing is at a disadvantage as our labour is properly paid and yields are lower due to cooler climate and light levels. We have some great tasting new varieties like Wellant and some interesting ones like Papples. Come and try some as our seasonal shop is now open daily until Christmas. ( Closed on Sundays)
Pollination and the weather so far this season 2017
- At May 27, 2017
- By info@Bentleys
- In All, News, On the Farm, Seasonal
0

Bentleys Castle Fruit Farm Orchard Bee at work
The magic of pollination has happened and we have a myriad of insects to thank and above all think about. Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the male anthers to the female stigma which is essential to kick start cell division and set the fruit. Poor pollination leads to poor fruit set and yield and misshaped fruits, neither good news!
There are many insects that pollinate and to encourage large populations we need to provide sources of pollen and nectar right through from March until September. We must also provide habitat for all these pollinators nesting places and winter hideaways. All our non tree acres must be managed for these very important workers and here on Castle Fruit farm we are increasingly working to provide for them . We leave hedgerow margins, we don’t prune hedges every year, we are planting wild flower banks and keep as much brush, bramble thickets, dead trees and vegetation as possible . We mow every alternate alleyway to let flowers set seed and provide habitat. This is all a far cry from previous practice when farmers were urged to be tidy and cut and trim and spray everything in sight.What ignorance and with what sad results. I was talking recently with a bee keeper and he was very clear there is overall much less forage for today’s bees. This is something we can all do something about : plant flowers, shrubs , trees wherever we can and be untidy where possible.
We have been working with Sam Ardin who is doing research into pollinators here at Castle Fruit Farm. She is comparing our pollinator populations with other farms and we are pleased to know we lead the field in numbers and varieties of pollinators. We have active populations of very effective pollinators such as leafcutter bees (left), some of the larger mining bees,
left is the tawny mining bee, which was very active and some of the most effective hoverfly pollinators (two images below):
She was clear from her data that these contribute greatly to pollination in our orchards.We look forward to hearing more about these workers needs as we are keen to improve their habitat in any ways we can.
If you would like more information on Pollinators and other environmental issues a great website is :
http://www.cfeonline.org.uk/home/
In conclusion we are pleased we have had a good pollination and we have not suffered greatly from frosts. We are fortunate to have sloping land and the frost largely flows away. Rain and warmth have come and we are set for a slightly early season but then all these things can change overnight…
Conservation Agriculture at Castle Fruit Farm
- At May 13, 2017
- By info@Bentleys
- In On the Farm
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Castle Fruit Farm Manager Clive planting new Conference pears
Bentleys Fruit FarmDefinition of Conservation Agriculture
Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a set of soil management practices that minimize the disruption of the soil’s structure, composition and natural biodiversity. CA has proven potential to improve crop yields, while improving the long-term environmental and financial sustainability of farming.
The FAO believes that there are three major benefits from CA:
- Within fields that are controlled by CA the producer will see an increase in organic matter.
- Increase in water conservation due to the layer of organic matter and ground cover to help eliminate transportation and access runoff.
- Improvement of soil structure and rooting zone
Castle Fruit Farm and Conservation Agriculture.
Michael Bentley has long been involved in Farmers Overseas Action Group which is a charity involved in agricultural development amongst other projects, in Uganda. This interest was sparked by 2 years in India as a young graduate volunteer with Quakers. Trained as a soil and water engineer his particular passion has been sustainable farming practices in the tropics which increase yields by paying careful attention to water management and soil structure amongst other things. This is one of the fundamentals of what is now known as Conservation Agriculture or Climate Smart Agriculture. It is clear that nature is committed to recycling everything, the circular economy par excellence, whereas man uses natural resources and then discards them. The tenets of Conservation Agriculture are just as relevant here in the UK so I asked Michael some questions about his practice at Castle Fruit Farm !
“How do you look after your soil here at Castle Fruit Farm ?”
Maintaining soil health is crucial – globally and here. One way we look after our soil is by minimising the use of heavy machinery particularly when it is wet. This is one negative of organic growers in that mechanical weeding rather than spraying is their means of weed control which involves very regular traffic up and down the rows. We subsoil occasionally if the soil has become compacted to repair the soil structure.
In what ways are biodiversity important and how do you support biodiversity in the orchards?
Soil biodiversity is linked closely to soil structure and soil composition which is vital for good rooting of trees, good nutrition and therefore yields. Yield (and price) determine our economic viability and underpins a commercial fruit farm like Castle Fruit Farm. When planting a new orchard we endeavour to rest and restore it before planting. We are currently replacing Baldwyn’s Oak orchard. Having grubbed the trees, here Cox apples which yield poorly and are now little in demand – sorry those who love them- we sowed a grass mix containing leguminous and flowering plants. This is then grazed (and manured ) by the sheep for one season. In order not to destroy the soil structure by ploughing as in the past, we simply spray a strip with a herbicide and then plant the new trees into an opened furrow. In this orchard it will be Braeburn – a new clone with good colour specifically for our northern clime and desire for coloured fruit not pale and interesting !
Another soil issue is erosion. We know in the tropics of the huge losses of soli after deluges as has happened recently in South America. We are fortunate in our climate . However we are seeing increasingly torrential rain. Here on Castle Fruit Farm we watch with dismay if gulleys appear on our steep sandy slopes and endeavour in different ways to prevent soil loss – planting across the contours where possible, avoiding using tractors when wet and mulching with bark chippings or green waste compost. Preventing soil loss is crucial everywhere in the world including here.
What about your management of water ?
The best water is rain water over which we have no control. We drip feed water through irrigation systems to our orchards when essential – gone are the days of very wasteful sprinklers. We disrupt the soil minimally and try to minimise evaporation and conserve soil moisture by using green compost from near Dymock.
So in conclusion, what are the values of these practices ?
Hopefully we are not only conserving soil health but improving it so that farming on this farm is sustainable for future generations and the great planet.
Who will Harvest our 2017 Crops
- At March 14, 2017
- By info@Bentleys
- In All, News, On the Farm, Seasonal
0
Who is going to harvest our fruit this year ?

Apple-picking by Pat Strauss
Buds are breaking on the Valor plum trees and hurrah,the blackthorn is in full blossom so the pollinators can get to work. These are our free workers so we try to make sure pollen is available early on by planting goat willow and keeping some of the hedges uncut for their early blossom. More on the importance of biodiversity later as what is more pressing is organising our harvest workers. Like all farmers we rely on seasonal labour to harvest our crops. In our case this means a group of Bulgarians who come every year for 3-5 months. Who works here has recently become a topic of heated discussion as Brexit and immigration hit the headlines. There are those who oppose this “immigration” and those who believe we should employ our local unemployed. The situation is not so simple and these are some of the issues as I see them.
Read More»Winter work in the orchards
- At February 23, 2017
- By info@Bentleys
- In All, News, On the Farm
0
Winter Work : ” surely there is nothing to do now it’s winter ” How that makes Clive laugh !
One of the foremost things on our minds is :Tree planting. Orchards are being continually renewed, driven by age, unprofitability and the never ending desire of consumers for the new. It is a necessary and huge commitment in every way not just financial. The other tasks at this time of the year are pruning , machinery maintenance , coppicing, logging, ditching , hedge cutting and planning labour for next season, and on wet days catching up on research findings and never ending paperwork – deserves a blog on its own !
Read More»