City of Columbia installs community orchard

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With the help of about 60 volunteers, the City of Columbia planted about 40 fruit trees Saturday as part of the capital city’s new free fruit community orchard.

In August, Columbia was picked as one of 20 cities in the nation to win a free orchard – part of a national competition and program sponsored by Edy’s Fruit Bars and the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation. The program, called “Communities Take Root,” aims to provide neighborhoods with locally grown sources of fresh fruit.

City officials chose a sliver of land in the Owens Field Recreational Area – almost a full acre – for the orchard’s home, citing the area’s recreational activities, public access and close proximity to area schools as reasons for choosing the site. The orchard is the latest addition to the area, which in 2010, saw the installation of a 15,000 square-foot, custom-built skate park.

The orchard contains a variety of fruit trees, including plum, fig, pomegranate, apple, pear and persimmon.

Experts associated with the project expect to see fruit on some of the trees within a year; others could take up to three years before producing a full harvest.

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Sunday, Nov. 06, 2011

Saturday, Nov. 05, 2011

-- Mindy Lucas

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Sunday, Nov. 06, 2011

Saturday, Nov. 05, 2011

City of Columbia installs community orchard

tool name

-- Mindy Lucas

Your comments

Most Popular