Community Orchards and Fruit Diversity and Proliferation Project

Community Orchards and Fruit Diversity and Proliferation Project

Summary

WORK ACTIVITIES
As grafting does not start until the end of February 2010 my activities have primarily involved preparation at this point. I have ordered 260 additional apple varieties, 25 additional pear varieties as well as 29 persimmons. Currently I am working on pruning and collecting scions from established orchards.

I am also working on preparing work space to hold grafting workshops and getting the nursery ready.

To supplement this project I have started many seeds of chestnut, pawpaw, Nanking cherry and cornelian cherry (dogwood).

RESULTS
As the project has not started in full results are limited. I am quite happy with the variety of scion wood I have acquired.

One thing I am learning is to diversify my distribution methods by encouraging others to organize their own planting projects.

WORK PLAN FOR 2010
Starting March 1, 2010 I will be grafting trees. I hope to have this done in two weeks. Once grafting is done, I will start potting as soon as the danger of hard frost has past. Once potting is complete the main physical work for the summer is in the nursery. During that time I will have a better idea of how many trees will be available in the fall when the work of starting orchards begins.

OUTREACH
I am organizing a grafting workshop and hopefully some community orchards with Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. I am also working with The Urban Orchard Project in Cincinnati, Ohio.

There are several individuals who I am working with who are organizing plantings here in Athens and community support for community orchards is growing.

Also in the works are two prime potential orchard sites on private property that the owners of are interested in developing for communal use. The details of these projects have not been completely worked out yet.