The Walled Garden Orchard Community Archaeological dig started on the 6th October for 3 weeks. This dig was to investigate the archaeology in the quadrant where the new orchard trees were being planted.
In order to grow an orchard with horticultural promise and longevity we needed to have our apple trees grafted on a rootstock that would withstand our more extreme soil conditions. Rootstocks are what apple varieties are grafted onto and influence the growth habit of the tree. The semi vigorous rootstock, MM106, is the best rootstock for poorer soils. However by using it we run a greater risk of the roots penetrating the archaeology, compared with a less vigorous rootstock such as the semi dwarf M26 or dwarf M9. Therefore English Heritage agreed the orchard under the condition we dug 90cm deep under the supervision of qualified archaeologists, and then lined the hole with a permeable fabric but one that will not allow any adventurous roots to go any deeper into of the soil where we might find Roman remains.
The finds from the dig included a Roman pot lid still intact indicating possible Roman domestic activity, a Tudor coin, a blade from the Stone Age, and a Roman coin. Thank you very much to all the archaeological volunteers that helped investigate the pits supervised by archaeologists from Pre Construct Archaeology.