The last survivors

 Got some good coverage about the orchard massacre in both our 2 main newspapers here -   The Belfast Telegraph and the Irish News. Check out their Facebook pages guys to read the stories. For some reason Facebook has now limited how many links you can share overwise I would have put the links up here for you to read. What a weird one. 

Thank you Belfast Telegraph and the Irish news for this. 

Anyhow guys, these 4 heritage Irish apple trees was all I managed to retrieve from the massacre. Look how they have been ripped apart. Over 100 of these small apple trees we had phantom planted here on open community/common land. This land isn't owned by any individual. The majority of my phantom plantings are on community/common land. If land is overgrown and not being maintained with no boundary markers or fences then there are old laws to say this is common land for the community. These open spaces that are left untouched will naturally rewild themselves anyway. 

All we are doing is replacing an area with fruit trees rather than willow, oaks or rowans which were the trees that were growing there naturally. Non of these native trees were cut down. Only all our community apple trees. If this area was meant to be an open space among the forest as some critics are saying. Then all the other oaks, rowans and willows would have been cleared too. This place is going to slowly turn into a forest overtime as no one really cares about. If they did I think who ever is meant to manage it would fill in the massive holes in the middle of it. We have done more for this land than any management company. 

We phantom planted our fruit trees among all the other naturally grown trees. Never did we take any surrounding trees down. All our orchards work along side with what trees are already there. 

Anyhow, there will always be critics and thats ok. But I do give some serious thoughts to wwere I phantom plant. Some jobsworth has taken this personally and does not like what I do. One day though you'll probably move jobs like other ecologists who have challenged me in the past and this land and The Phantom Planter wont even be a thought in your head. 

This is why I stopped asking permission to plant a long time ago. When you go to some of these types of people you automatically put them on a pedestal. I've went through it time and time again. 

You cant plant cherry trees in case a child chokes - though they sell cherries in shops to kids with no choking hazards on them. Then another said no gooseberries for kids might get spiked. I really didnt think this one has even went for a walk in nature before. Our wee countryside is one big spikey bramble

I've went through with so much constipated BS over the years just to plant trees hence why I'm the phantom planter and always will be. 

Nature does not seek permission to sow a seed and neither should you. 

The squirrels and jays are the biggest phantom planters about. 

All I want is more food producing forests. For the health and connection of our communities. 

These 100 small apple trees I planted could have been moved very easily if I was given the chance. But no they were all ripped out and discarded in the surrounding brambles.

These trees will grow back and will be phantom planted again when they recover.  One positive from this is my grafting technique has stood up well to the level of abuse its taken. As you can see in one of the pics the graft line is still in perfect condition after being manhandled. Normally these could snap at the graft line if not fully done right. But I'm proud of these wee champions. 

Please do support our mission guys by donating into our UK bank account below. 

Name on account- 

Free Food For All

Sort code 950679

Account number 30178756

Or into our paypal account

https://paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=FAJZHB3TBXMSL 

And if you cant support us I challenge you to phantom plant a tree

Peace and love 

The Phantom Planter and Wee Betty