Planting

Soil preparation to planting the whips on a compact limestone brash soil.

Original plan to use all the best available knowledge gained from ten years or more of hunting the native truffle in England. The study of working with existing orchards in the UK. Those producing and some producing in small pockets. Also the latest science-based results and those from commercial orchards across the world. We also want to maintain a strong natural enviroment beneficial for good insect and worm life. Most importantly planting a wood that regardless of its potential truffle production is still an asset to the landscape. Myself, the head gamekeeper, the farm manager and the local forester came together to, I hope, create something of livingness.

The site was chosen with the mature mother trees of oak and beech in the hedge carrying the aestivum and uncinatum truffles naturally. This involved working closely with the farm manager and more importantly the head keeper who very much ran and managed the project on site. We started with a general soil investigation followed by testing sward lifting in both directions. Then using a mini caterpillar tractor digging holes with small bucket, adding a bucket of compost, a quarter of which was mixed into soil. The remainder mulched on top.

Every site will have a different requirement and many there are many options off how to approach the work involved . This is just one example of a project.