The Urban Orchard Project
by Scott Harris

It takes a big set of blinders to miss the fact that there is something wrong with the state of food today. Rising chemical use, transgenic crops, erosion, big corporate control, inhumane treatment of livestock: these and countless other troubles plague an industry that used to be the cornerstone of life in America. Whether it is a cause or a symptom, the growing distance between the producer and consumer is emblematic of the probl em. But what can any of us do? Reading Homegrown and taking the information in it to heart is one great step. Gardening organically is a rewarding pastime but it also represents taking personal responsibility for what goes in the food that you eat and for the water that flows downstream from you. For TreeFolks, Inc., Austin's non-profit urban forestry organization, responsibility grew on trees.

In the fall of 1998, old friends Mary McCarthy (Executive Director of TreeFolks) and Sue Johnson (Executive Director of the Texas Organic Grower's Association) formed the Urban Orchard Project. The new program would install orchards of locally-adapted fruit and nut trees in public spaces (parks, community gardens, schools) and teach groups of residents how to choose, plant, care for and harvest them. In addition to providing trees, valuable training and ultimately fresh, organically managed food, the program would re-introduce people to where food really comes from.

They decided to start in the areas of greatest need. In economically disadvantaged areas of town residents not only had little access to pure, organically grown food, they had little access to fresh food at all. There are parts of East Austin where the nearest grocery store is over eight miles away. That seemed a natural place to start. The first planting took place in the courtyard of a public housing project. Residents of the complex and supporters from all over Austin converged on a cool clear January morning to plant those first "seeds of success." This was followed by a second planting at a Police neighborhood center that same planting season.

In the three planting seasons that followed the size and scope of the project expanded. Since everyone is a net consumer of food, the associated problems also cross all sorts of bounds. They began planting in working class neighborhoods in parks and community gardens. While many adults have some memory of a grandparent's orchard or a backyard fruit tree, most children have no direct experience with fruit growing so schools became a priority.

The program flourished. TreeFolks contributed trees, materials and expertise but they also received a wealth in return. Older participants and people who heard of the project offered fond memories of neighborhood mulberry trees at the center of their young lives or of an uncle's prized plum trees. Closet "fruit nerds" emerged with advice built on hard-won experience. The retail nurseries used the program and its educational materials to increase fruit tree sales and to boost the success of the trees sold. Children's responses were probably the most dramatic. Over and over they enjoyed the wide-eyed astonishment of young people marveling at developing fruit, a thing whose natural state, in their minds, used to be a supermarket bin.

In addition to 10 major plantings and many smaller "mini-orchards" TreeFolks developed the "Fruit and Nut Tree Growing Guide for Central Texas" (see page 8). The guide features beautifully illustrated selection, planting and organic care instructions for regionally adapted fruit and nut trees on one side. The other side features color illustrations of tree, flower and fruit of over twenty species that will thrive in the area. After the highly successful introduction of the original guide, a Spanish-language version was released.

The project has also begun taking on a research function. To date they have done experimental plantings of several varieties of hardy citrus, paw paws (an obscure but very interesting native fruit) and several species of exotic fruit including chÈ (an Asian mulberry relative) and three low-chill exotic cherry species. They have also actively researched and promoted native species of edible plants as easy to care for alternatives to "improved" species. They are also evaluating several methods to enhance the survival and growth rates of bare-root trees.

The Urban Orchard Project has received awards and recognition from such groups as "Keep Austin Beautiful", the Del Valle Independent School District and the Texas Forest Service for its contribution to the community.

The project has gone so well that TreeFolks is now taking it "on the road." To help other communities in Texas replicate the success of the project, TreeFolks has devised an Urban Orchard "road show." The new program was started with the planting of a regional demonstration orchard at the Agricultural Science facility at Del Valle High School. The demonstration orchard has a sampling of species that will thrive in the area. It was planted as part of a fruit culture education series for Horticulture Students at Del Valle High School. It will be used for ongoing education by students at the High School and other groups interested in local fruit culture.

The road show continues as a series of free presentations in communities around the state on "How to Start an Urban Orchard". The first stop for the presentation was nearby Bastrop, Texas. Kimas Tejas nursery and the City of Bastrop received support and instruction that culminated in the planting of a beautiful grove of 40+ trees in the new Bob Bryant Park.

If you'd be interested in a presentation in your community, a copy of the booklet "Community Orchards, a Step-by-Step Guide to Starting an Urban Orchard" or a copy of the "Fruit and Nut Tree Growing Guide for Central Texas" (English or Spanish) contact TreeFolks at 512-443-5323, e-mail scott@treefolks.org or visit the website at www.treefolks.org.

Scott Harris has worked with Treefolks in Austin for several years.