Summer

Harvest season officially kicks off with the summer months, bringing with them a bounty of sweet fruits ready to be picked. Watch on as the trees slowly change from a deep green to a kaleidoscope of colours, and spot ripening fruits as they begin to peek through the leaves.

December Fruits – Lemons

As citrus trees are evergreen, lemons fruit throughout the year. While some months yield better harvests than others, expect to see both fragrant flowers and fruit across the orchard, as the lemons soak up the summer sun.

January Fruits – Plums

January brings with it two plum varieties famed for their golden flesh, ready for picking in the second and third weeks of the month. The sweet and juicy Black Amber are best enjoyed fresh, while the slightly more tart Fortune Plums are ideal for both snacking and baking.

And don’t miss our vibrant sunflower crop coming into full bloom in mid-January.

February Fruits – Plums, Pears, Figs

The last chance to pick plums is in early February as stone fruit season comes to a close, making way for figs that begin to blush purple and plump up for picking. Now our famous Packham pears are preparing to come into harvest at the end of the month – the same fruit we use to make our delicious Sparkling Pear cider.

Autumn

Autumn is our busiest time for the orchard, as the trees become heavy with fresh, ripe fruit ready for harvest. The cooler weather rounds out the season for plums and pears, and now our apples begin to take centre stage as the myriad varieties come up for harvest.

March Fruits – Plums, Pears, Apples, Nashi

March is our biggest harvest month, beginning with our premium Ruby Blood plums kicking off the season. Large Red Sensation pears come into harvest, while Galaxy, Hi Early and Jonathon varieties mark the start of the popular apple season. Our nashi pears also make a notable appearance in March, with our green variety fruiting earlier in the month and golden nashis following.

April Fruits – Apples, Apples, Apples, Quince

It’s all about the apples in April, from sweet to sour, large to small, and all the spectacular colours from this mainstay fruit. Granny Smiths and Pink Ladys are the star players, each having their time to shine at the start and end of the month. Also popping up at this time is the unique quince.

May Fruits – Apples, Persimmons, Pomegranates

Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples continue to be plucked from our branches, along with persimmons and pomegranates. There is truly something for all tastes in May.

Winter

As the leaves begin to drop from deciduous trees in winter, citrus takes over as the reigning fruit of the orchard. Limes, oranges and various other citrus varieties bring new colours to the top section of the orchard, while the main orchard takes on an almost mystical allure with the bare trees readying to renew for the next season. 

June Fruits – Apples, Limes

This is the final month for our apples as they slowly come to an end. Lime season arrives with a burst of green, beginning with Jamaican Limes at the start of the month, followed by Tahitian Limes. 

July Fruits – Limes, Mandarins, Oranges

Our limes continue to harvest, joined by sweet mandarins early in the month and juicy oranges coming in towards late July.

August Fruits – Oranges, Kumquats

The zing of citrus zest remains in the air, with oranges aplenty and a variety of kumquats coming into season.

Spring

Spring at Core is a true spectacle, as blossoms burst from their buds and create an enchanting spectacle. The orchard transforms into a sea of white and pink as the blossom season makes its way through the various fruit trees.

September – Blossom Season Starts

Whilst our fruit is no longer available (apart from our evergreen lemons), the orchard is a magnificent sight to witness. Due to the varying fruits and harvests in our orchard, blossom season is captured in stages throughout the season. September starts with plum varieties and slowly moves to pears, with natural beauty at every turn.

October – Blossom Season

The wave of blossoms cascades over to apples, with one variety after the next flowering throughout October, from the Dragonfly Ponds area to the grove of Pink Lady apple trees.

November – Blossom Season Ends

The Dragonfly Ponds gently start to turn green as our blossom season finishes, readying for a new harvest to begin the following year.

Note: Seasons and fruit availability for picking are subject to weather and seasonal conditions.