Community orchards

Community orchards

If you are considering starting your own community orchard there are a number of hurdles to overcome, but armed with the right information and a bit of chutzpah they won’t be insurmountable. The links below contain a wealth of useful information. There are also some excellent books listed in our bibliography.

Once the plot is procured and agreements agreed you will have to get planting. If an orchard is already present, you should fill up any gaps with new trees. Select a range of rootstocks – some on MM106 for apple or other similar vigour stocks to help get the orchard cropping quickly, but be sure to include some trees on a full sized rootstock like M25 for apples, Brompton for plum and Kirchensaler for pears. This builds in longevity which is good for wildlife but they are slower to crop.

A top-tips list

Clear and concise guidelines published by Defra to help you find land and set up a community orchard.

The Community Land Advisory Service has produced a new, free set of documents to help community orchards find land and to reach good agreements about using it.

The Urban Orchard Project shares plenty of information on their useful website, from where to find a local orchard, to ‘how to’ videos for practical demonstrations of key orchard skills.

Helping Britain Blossom is supporting local people to create and restore 100 community orchards by 2017. The project works directly with community groups so will help up to 4,000 people learn new skills and deliver transformational benefits to their local communities.

A website for the Kent Orchards for Everyone project that has lots of useful information about community orchard management.

Finding community orchards near you

If you know of, or are involved with a community orchard not listed on this map, please click here to list it.
If you know of, or are involved with a community orchard that IS on this map and would like to update the details, please click here to let us know.

Finding community orchards near you

6) Elder Stubbs Orchard

11) Odiham Cemetery Meadow community orchard

19) Radnor Road community orchard

20) Wilding Road community orchard

23) Admaston allotments community orchard

24) Wilburton community orchard

27) Gayden Meadows community orchard

31) West End Women and Girls Centre

36) Riverside community orchard

41) Stobsmill Inn community orchard

42) National Galleries of Scotland mobile community orchard

44) Constable Street community orchard

50) Cock Road Ridge community orchard

52) Shipley community orchard

55) St. Nicholas Park community orchard

56) Hampson Park community orchard

57) Bandley Hill community orchard

58) Bloxwich community orchard

59) Gladewood community orchard

60) Winston Churchill Memorial Garden community orchard

61) Lower Walditch community orchard

65) Centry Court community orchard

67) Leigh community orchard

68) Guilden Morden community orchard

69) Horton Kirby & South Darenth community orchard

79) Allesley Park Walled Garden

80) Great Wymondley community orchard

84) Cults Burn Park and community orchard

87) Highfield Park Trust

89) Highfield community orchard

93) Chiddingly Community Orchard

96) Shotley Gate community orchard

99) Coventry Community Peace Orchard

100) Ravensdale LNR community orchard

102) Cawston community orchard (in planning)

103) Branchlines Old School Wood community woodland

106) Horsted Green Park community orchard

116) Redcliffe Community Orchard

117) Coulston Village Community Orchard

132) Egg Buckland community orchard – in planning

138) Henry Tate Mews community orchard