Butterworths Organic Nursery - Home

Dear Customer, 

I have retired from the nursery and  am now taking a 'sabbatical'. The 'contact' will remain live for queries from existing/previous customers, to whom I am very grateful.

Our small nursery is set amongst 300 acres of broad-leaved woodland on the banks of the River Lugar, 10 miles inland from Ayr. We are 300 feet above sea-level and somewhat frost-prone.

Our aims are to encorage:

1. The planting of suitable varieties, historic and modern, of fruit trees in more difficult parts of Britain, i.e. the North, West and higher altitudes.
   
2. Organic and biodynamic production.
3. The conservation of historic varieties, especially some of the 40 Scottish apple varieties.

We therefore produce those varieties which are best capable of maturing a crop in a short season, and which do so without succumbing to disease. We pursue an active research programme to these ends, including research into the 40 Scottish-raised (and now largely forgotten) varieties. We welcome information about any fruit trees, especially in Scotland and N. England. Many non-commercial varieties are useful to the gardener, given good drainage, sun and shelter.

Organic growing involves avoiding the use of synthetic chemicals and genetically modified organisms; relying instead on carefully conserved manures and labour-intensive methods of weed control, pruning, etc. in order to promote tree health. It is applicable at every stage of the production process, from initial propagation through to harvesting, and an ever-growing number of people agree that it is in the interest of the producer, the consumer and the environment. An organic fruit tree nursery in Western Scotland faces particular challenges. High rainfall leads to particular difficulties with mechanical weed control - our only option - and requires careful attention to disease control. High windspeed prevents the use of weed control mulches, and requires every tree to be individually tied (twice) throughout life in the nursery. Our trees are hardy and able to cope in similar conditions, whilst adapting easily to more favourable sites.

We were the first commercial organic fruit tree nursery in the UK, all trees having been grown to official Organic Standards since 1991. Today we are still the only specialist fruit-tree nursery in Scotland. We undergo a rigorous annual inspection to ensure compliance with the Organic Standards. Please advise us during the first summer of any tree which fails to establish. We will attempt to diagnose the cause of the problem, and where it seems the quality of the planting material may be at fault, we pride ourselves on accepting our responsibility.