{"id":18259,"date":"2026-04-15T10:47:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T10:47:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/portpatrickprimary\/?p=18259"},"modified":"2026-04-15T10:47:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T10:47:29","slug":"braving-the-weather-mulching-our-orchard-trees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/portpatrickprimary\/?p=18259","title":{"rendered":"Braving the Weather: Mulching Our Orchard Trees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It\u2019s safe to say the weather wasn\u2019t exactly on our side this week. Grey skies, damp air, and the kind of chill that makes you question every life choice that led you outdoors\u2026 but we went ahead anyway! Because when it comes to caring for our orchard, a bit of miserable weather isn\u2019t going to stop us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our task was an important one: mulching the trees. With the help of Mrs. Dampney, we got stuck in and made great progress despite the conditions. There\u2019s something quite satisfying about working together outdoors\u2014even when your fingers are a bit cold and your boots are a bit muddy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We used a combination of cardboard and woodchips to mulch around the base of each tree. The cardboard acts as a natural weed barrier, stopping unwanted plants from competing with our trees for nutrients and water. On top of that, the woodchips help to retain moisture in the soil, regulate temperature, and slowly break down to improve soil quality over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mulching might seem like a simple job, but it plays a big role in keeping our trees healthy. By protecting the soil and supporting strong growth, we\u2019re helping our orchard thrive. And healthy plants don\u2019t just look good\u2014they contribute to a healthier environment overall, supporting wildlife and improving the air around us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So even though the weather was less than ideal, it was well worth the effort. With teamwork, determination, and a little help from Mrs. Dampney, we\u2019ve given our orchard a boost that will last well into the seasons ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103422\/IMG_4168-rotated.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"18249\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103422\/IMG_4168-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18249\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103422\/IMG_4168-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103422\/IMG_4168-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103422\/IMG_4168-rotated.jpeg 945w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103440\/IMG_4166-rotated.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"18250\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103440\/IMG_4166-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103440\/IMG_4166-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103440\/IMG_4166-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103440\/IMG_4166-rotated.jpeg 945w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103451\/IMG_4163-rotated.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"18251\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103451\/IMG_4163-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18251\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103451\/IMG_4163-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103451\/IMG_4163-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103451\/IMG_4163-rotated.jpeg 945w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103505\/IMG_4165-rotated.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"18252\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103505\/IMG_4165-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18252\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103505\/IMG_4165-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103505\/IMG_4165-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103505\/IMG_4165-rotated.jpeg 945w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103526\/IMG_4164-rotated.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"18253\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103526\/IMG_4164-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18253\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103526\/IMG_4164-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103526\/IMG_4164-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103526\/IMG_4164-rotated.jpeg 945w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103541\/IMG_4161-rotated.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"18254\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103541\/IMG_4161-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18254\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103541\/IMG_4161-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103541\/IMG_4161-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103541\/IMG_4161-rotated.jpeg 945w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103557\/IMG_4160-rotated.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"18255\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103557\/IMG_4160-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18255\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103557\/IMG_4160-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103557\/IMG_4160-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103557\/IMG_4160-rotated.jpeg 945w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103617\/IMG_4157-rotated.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"18256\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103617\/IMG_4157-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103617\/IMG_4157-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103617\/IMG_4157-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103617\/IMG_4157-rotated.jpeg 945w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103632\/IMG_4159-rotated.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"18257\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103632\/IMG_4159-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18257\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103632\/IMG_4159-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103632\/IMG_4159-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103632\/IMG_4159-rotated.jpeg 945w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103648\/IMG_4158-rotated.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"18258\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103648\/IMG_4158-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18258\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103648\/IMG_4158-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103648\/IMG_4158-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103648\/IMG_4158-rotated.jpeg 945w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103406\/IMG_4171.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103406\/IMG_4171-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18248\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103406\/IMG_4171-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103406\/IMG_4171-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103406\/IMG_4171-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103406\/IMG_4171-1200x900.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/public\/portpatrickprimary\/uploads\/sites\/4131\/2026\/04\/15103406\/IMG_4171.jpeg 1260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s safe to say the weather wasn\u2019t exactly on our side this week. Grey skies, damp air, and the kind of chill that makes you question every life choice that led you outdoors\u2026 but we went ahead anyway! Because when it comes to caring for our orchard, a bit of miserable weather isn\u2019t going to &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/portpatrickprimary\/?p=18259\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Braving the Weather: Mulching Our Orchard Trees&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15710,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/portpatrickprimary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/portpatrickprimary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/portpatrickprimary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/portpatrickprimary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/15710"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/portpatrickprimary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18259"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/portpatrickprimary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18260,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/portpatrickprimary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18259\/revisions\/18260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/portpatrickprimary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/portpatrickprimary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/portpatrickprimary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}