English Apricots Coming Soon: Our New Apricot Orchard in Essex
Think about the last apricot you bought. Chances are it travelled a long way, was picked hard so it could survive the journey, and tasted of very little. Most of the apricots sold in the UK are grown abroad. You deserve better: an apricot picked ripe from the tree, soft, sweet and full of flavour, and in your hands within a day. That is why, now our pumpkin days are behind us, we are planting an orchard of English apricots here at Bullbanks Farm in Aldham, just outside Colchester.
Why English Apricots Are Worth the Wait
Most apricots on UK shelves are imported, with Spain the biggest supplier. To travel well, that fruit is picked before it is ripe, so it never quite reaches the sweetness and juiciness of an apricot left to ripen on the tree.
English apricots are different. They ripen from mid July into August, right in the middle of the British summer, and when they are grown close to home they can be picked ripe and eaten the next day. The flavour is a world away from a supermarket punnet.
Growing apricots in England used to be a gamble, because older varieties flowered early and their blossom was caught by spring frosts. Newer varieties bred for our climate flower later and crop more reliably. We have chosen 4 of them: Tomcot, Flavorcot, Golden Glow, which was raised in Worcestershire, and Goldcot. All 4 are self fertile, and because they ripen one after another, the picking season stretches from mid July right through August.
Building an Innovative Orchard From the Ground Up
We are a small family farm, and this is a project Guy and Emily are building step by step. The groundwork is done, the new farmyard is laid, and the agricultural barn is nearly finished. That barn is the heart of the orchard: it will house packing, grading and a cold store, so every apricot can be chilled within the hour of being picked.
Our next step is the irrigation. We are installing innovative drip irrigation with fertigation, which delivers water and nutrients straight to the roots of every single tree. Each tree gets exactly what it needs, when it needs it, with very little waste. Rainwater from the new barn roof will be captured and stored to help keep the orchard watered through the summer.
The orchard itself is designed for flavour and care. More than 2,000 trees will be trained as slim spindles on posts and wires, kept to about 3 m tall so every apricot can be picked by hand from the ground. Rows run north to south so both sides of each row get even sunlight, and there are no polytunnels. At blossom time we will bring in bumblebees to help with pollination, and on frosty nights the young trees will be protected with fleece. Any fruit that is not perfect enough for the punnet will go into preserves and dried fruit, so nothing goes to waste.
What Happens Next, and When You Can Taste Them
Once the irrigation is in place, the young trees go in while they are dormant over the winter. Apricot trees take a few seasons to come into full cropping, so we are hoping for a first small harvest in summer 2028, with the orchard building up over the years that follow.
When the fruit arrives, we plan to sell it fresh from the farm gate and through pick your own in season, with boxes for local chefs and independent shops too. Every apricot will be picked ripe and sold within a day.
Until then, you can follow the whole journey with us, from bare ground to the first blossom and the first ripe fruit.
How Foxes Farm Can Help
Foxes Farm is a working family farm that has welcomed visitors since 2007, and we are excited to bring ripe English apricots a little closer to home. Follow the orchard as it grows and be among the first to know when picking opens.
To register your interest, call us on 01206 481982 or contact us and we will keep you posted.