Community Orchards
Communities all over the world are reclaiming unused public space and planting them with Community Orchards & Gardens.
This idea has really taken off in recent years as folks have faced tough financial times, and also as more people want to eat fresh local produce.
Here in our own village we have a large number of vacant lots, and are unfortunately about to gain some more as oil contaminated homes meet their doom.
Why not devote some of these lots to Community Orchard & Gardens?
These projects do require forethought and planning. Young trees require tender loving care to ensure vigorous growth. But community orchards provide so many positive benefits:
- Beautify our Village
- Plant & cultivate old-fashioned Heirloom strains of trees
- Learn about our history; Our forebears all had small orchards and berry gardens on their land. Many heirloom varieties have become rare or extinct with the rise of corporate agriculture. Big Agri- business certainly doesn’t give a hoot about biological diversity, flavor or history.
- Bring community together for a common goal
- Create beautiful parks, with tables & benches
- Attract humming birds and bees
- Educational resource
- A learning experience for children & families
- School projects (horticulture, citizenship, planning, working together as a team…)
- Tourist Attraction
- Free food!
- A resource for lower income families
And the list goes on…It would be necessary to create a group and a management plan. It would seem that there’d be grant money available for a project like this, and perhaps jobs could even be created.
Our brutal New Brunswick winters limit us somewhat in what trees we can plant, but there are still plenty of options. Berry bushes and asparagus are perennials that can tolerate our winters, and maybe we could even begin full-blown community gardens at some point, cultivating all kinds of fruits & vegetables.
To borrow a phrase from the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, “Food & water will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no food or water.”
Stephanie Kelley
