Pruning stimulates new growth, improves the quality of fruit, helps trees live longer and makes it much easier to pick the fruit. This means Kensal to Kilburn Fruit Pickers won’t be required as often, which, oddly, is a good thing.

The course is aimed at beginners and no previous knowledge is needed. It is helpful if you are comfortable working from a ladder.

You will learn how to prune small to medium mature apple and pear trees with secateurs and loppers. The session will be a mix of theory and practical and include health and safety and use of tools.

We start in the library followed, rain and temperature permitting, by a practical supervised session taking it in turns to prune a nearby tree. By the end of the course you should be able to have a go at pruning a medium sized tree.

The idea is that the group help each other to prune and also help the people who let us pick their fruit last year and possibly others in the area. We can lend tools to use in your own garden.

Carol French of Glorious Gardens is our trainer. There will be up to 20 trainees. As at 9th Feb, 16 of 20 places have been booked outside this website. If you are booked on 20th Feb you can switch to 13th instead although I realise the weather forecast is not promising.