Clarkes Lane Orchard is a 1.5 acre (0.6 hectare) Soil Association-certified orchard located on Clarkes Lane in Ilketshall St Andrew; it is reached by way of winding lanes southeast of Bungay/southwest of Beccles in northeast Suffolk. It was established in August 2000 on former arable land and planted up with fruit trees from winter 2000-01 onwards, with the bulk of the planting of the fruit tree rows in the three winters 2004-05 to 2006-07.

The soil is a medium clay loam of the ‘Beccles 1’ soil series, described as “slowly permeable seasonally waterlogged fine loamy over clayey soils”; it is fertile and moisture retentive, although still recovering from compaction and loss of organic matter as a result of decades of modern conventional agriculture. There is sand in the subsoil, as well as chalk pieces, and these factors, together with the typical plant species of nearby commons and roadside verges, would suggest that the pH is neutral to slightly alkaline. There is a tendency to a lighter constituency with more stones towards the southwest corner.

There are approximately 240 apple, pear, plum, cherry as well as peach and apricot trees. About 180 of these are in rows on dwarfing rootstock (generally M9 in the case of apple); and about 60 are more irregularly planted in the top half and fringes of the orchard on semi-dwarfing rootstock (generally MM106 in the case of apple). 

The apples were selected to provide a spread of ripening dates from August to November, and according to reported pest and disease resistance, and crucially also on the basis of flavour and appearance. This resulted in a mixture of ancient, modern and local varieties (Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex), as well as formerly popular varieties which used to be the mainstay of the English market (such as Cox’s orange pippin and Egremont russet), but including three interesting old French varieties, and the odd variety originating in New Zealand and Canada.

For the pears, there is a similar spread of ripening dates from August to October, but arguably less diversity in terms of flavour and appearance. The majority are English varieties, several originated in France, and one (Robin) in Norfolk.

Please see elsewhere for details of all the apple and pear trees grown at Clarkes Lane Orchard.