"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time to plant a tree is today"- Chinese proverb
The Open Orchard Project connects communities through fruits and the planting of fruit trees in public places. These trees provide free fruit to local residents and greenery to our urban environments. Open Orchard started in London, England but the idea is just as relevant elsewhere so we love to see Open Orchard groups start up and plant fruit trees on public land across many more cities.
The environmental effects of planting trees takes time. A newly planted tree will offer some extra pollination opportunities and absorb a small amount of carbon dioxide and additional rainwater that might have gone into drains, however year on year, these positive effects increase as the tree grows.
Since the fruit trees are planted on public land it is necessary to have buy-in from the local council, but for the project to really be sustainable, engaged communities need to act as the custodians of the trees. The project can give neighbours the opportunity to meet properly for the first time, while working towards a common goal with a sense of purpose. In many areas, especially urban ones, this can be very important. Even if neighburs move away from the area the trees will live for 20-30 years - and remain a shared connection and legacy.
The fruit harvested from the trees can provide the community with a new source of fresh food. It can be eaten raw or used to produce other products (which in years to come could be an opportunity for a social business).
"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time to plant a tree is today"- Chinese proverb
The Open Orchard Project connects communities through fruits and the planting of fruit trees in public places. These trees provide free fruit to local residents and greenery to our urban environments. Open Orchard started in London, England but the idea is just as relevant elsewhere so we love to see Open Orchard groups start up and plant fruit trees on public land across many more cities.
The environmental effects of planting trees takes time. A newly planted tree will offer some extra pollination opportunities and absorb a small amount of carbon dioxide and additional rainwater that might have gone into drains, however year on year, these positive effects increase as the tree grows.
Since the fruit trees are planted on public land it is necessary to have buy-in from the local council, but for the project to really be sustainable, engaged communities need to act as the custodians of the trees. The project can give neighbours the opportunity to meet properly for the first time, while working towards a common goal with a sense of purpose. In many areas, especially urban ones, this can be very important. Even if neighburs move away from the area the trees will live for 20-30 years - and remain a shared connection and legacy.
The fruit harvested from the trees can provide the community with a new source of fresh food. It can be eaten raw or used to produce other products (which in years to come could be an opportunity for a social business).
Our Project has been really great and the new Orchard trees, shrubs and bushes are really going to make a difference to our Oasis Gardens and to build our orchard and produce more fruit for the community projects we run. Our Gardening Lifeline Project team have been doing so well and planting the trees and shrubs around the site increasing the Orchard and the species and types of fruiting plants and trees across the Oasis Gardens site. We are making a difference to the natural world in the heart of the community giving a beautiful green space for nature and for the community to enjoy. We are planting the trees and the shrubs and plants as a legacy for the future and we will enjoy watching them grow and develop in the future. We hope before too long we will be enjoying the fruit and produce of these trees and creating more community provision of fruit for the future. People of all ages come to the Oasis Centre and Gardens and so we are hoping that all of them will help to look after the new trees and. the fruiting plants. A lovely legacy for the people of this community in the future.
Our Project has been really great and the new Orchard trees, shrubs and bushes are really going to make a difference to our Oasis Gardens and to build our orchard and produce more fruit for the community projects we run. Our Gardening Lifeline Project team have been doing so well and planting the new trees and fruiting shrubs will make a huge difference adding so much to our Gardens site. The team comprise people from all ages and all needs from the area. Some have got mental health problems, some have additional needs and others dementia and other physical issues to deal with. The Projects are educational as well as therapeutic and bring people together in the heart of the community. The Orchard is not only providing alot of places for nature to nest, live and grow but also is increasing the green canopy and the beauty of the Oasis green space gardens. We hope in the years to come we will be able to pick the produce from these trees and shrubs and they will increase the fruitfulness of the site and benefit the whole of the community. We are very grateful for this funding and the difference it is making to our community. We are planting trees today in order to leave a legacy for the future of the Worksop are and the people living on the Kilton estate. A Living legacy for the children of today and the community of the future.
We have been working on creating our Oasis Orchard and increasing the amount of fruit trees, shrubs and bushes across the site. It is an exciting time and we are looking forward to the Spring blossom and the future fruit. We had a little delay because Steve (manager) was quite sick with a blood clot but he is recovering and the project is on track. A big variety of fruit trees were chosen with some more unusual species as well to add to the trees already planted - apple, pear. plum, apricot, peach, walnut a well as rhubarb, raspberries, gooseberries and various currants. Our Gardening 'Lifeline' team have been planting and nurturing the plants and trees and we will continue to develop the project and see the fruit of it in the years to come.
Action plan:
Timeline: We will start our project as soon as we get the funding for it - August 2023. Our team will meet each week to see where we are with the project. We will work on the correct dates in the season for planting the trees and other fruiting shrubs/plants - September - November 2023.
We will be adding to the fruit trees we have plated in the past at OASIS Community Gardens. So we are creating a real orchard and look forward to the harveset to come and all that we will do with this fruit in the future. We intend to put labels on trees so people can see the differnt varities, We will have a tree planting week for the Community and we will do other projects for all age groups as we want theh whole community to take ownership of these trees.
Budget: We will use the Seed funding to buy Fruit trees (apples, pears, apricot, cherry, plum) fruit bushes ( rasberry, red and black currants, rhubarb, gooseberry, blueberry and more). Trees will cost between £50 and £200 dependiing on the size, frt shrics smaller amounts. We will buy stakes/ for the trees,
Trees - £1400 Frut bushes/shubs - £400. Tree Stkes, Tools - £150. Signage - £50
Impact: The communty benefti is immedite and future long term. Immedite benefits ae that the 'Gardenig for Lie' tem will join with other members of the community in tree planting days to install the trees an plants. (People come to do theraapeutic gardening who are unemployed, hve addiitional needs, mental health, isolated etc). The project wll nurture the treees and cre for thm over the early years. The long term benefit iis the fruiti available to the community, the food projects this will support, the therapeutic cooking projects and he wildlife which will benefit from fruit trees being grown. We will use the trees as lerning opportunities in gardening, horticulture, nature and food projects for people of lal ages in the communty,
Outcomes - To bring the community togeher in therapeutic growing projects. Imrove the productivity of the Community Gardens site. To use the Commnity Orchard to imroive community educatiion, health and wellbeing. To ncrease food resiliance through community growing and cooking projects. To increase nterest in gardening, horticulture and community food growing.
Location: The project is based at the Oasiis Communiity Gardens siite on the disadvantaaged Kilton estate in Worksop, Nottinghmshire, S81 0DE UK. As a chrity at Oasis we own the land as from a month ago so we do not need any permissiion at this loction.