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

8) Newhouse Farm Treyford National Trust orchard

13) Clinton’s community orchard

17) Beighton community orchard

18) Abbots Langley community orchard

19) Winchcombe community allotment and orchard

28) Elder Stubbs Orchard

33) Odiham Cemetery Meadow community orchard

41) Radnor Road community orchard

42) Wilding Road community orchard

45) Admaston allotments community orchard

46) Wilburton community orchard

49) Gayden Meadows community orchard

53) West End Women and Girls Centre

58) Riverside community orchard

63) Stobsmill Inn community orchard

64) National Galleries of Scotland mobile community orchard

66) Constable Street community orchard

72) Cock Road Ridge community orchard

74) Shipley community orchard

77) St. Nicholas Park community orchard

78) Hampson Park community orchard

79) Bandley Hill community orchard

80) Bloxwich community orchard

81) Gladewood community orchard

82) Winston Churchill Memorial Garden

83) Lower Walditch community orchard

87) Centry Court community orchard

89) Leigh community orchard

90) Guilden Morden community orchard

91) Horton Kirby & South Darenth community orchard

101) Allesley Park Walled Garden

102) Great Wymondley community orchard

106) Cults Burn Park and community orchard

109) Highfield Park Trust

115) Chiddingly Community Orchard

118) Shotley Gate community orchard

121) Coventry Community Peace Orchard

122) Ravensdale LNR community orchard

124) Cawston community orchard

125) Branchlines Old School Wood community woodland

128) Horsted Green Park community orchard

138) Redcliffe Community Orchard

139) Coulston Village Community Orchard