Community Orchard Pathway (1/4): Planning
This is a joint project of Fruit Works Co-operative and Manchester Fruit Trees. Thanks to the many volunteers and The Orchard Project that we’ve learnt this from. We will update this regularly as we continue to learn.
We work with lots of groups of volunteers who care for community orchards and forest gardens. This guide is a collection of many of the steps we’ve helped people with. It might make sense to do them in this order, but nobody ever does! We’ve tried to provide links to resources for you to do the steps yourself, but if you need help doing it for the first time please get in touch to discuss how we can help.
There are 4 sections: planning; planting; caring; using.
Planning
Community conversations
Talking about why, where and what edible perennials you could plant is the first step. This might involve local residents groups, “In Bloom”, “Friends of” groups, your local park group, local environmental group or local councillors. It’s good to start with a long list of potentials because some will turn out to be more interested and helpful than others.
Talking to the land owner
Often the owner is the Council or the housing department. They have seen community gardening groups come and go, so will want to be convinced that you have volunteers committed to caring for the trees and bushes. They may have concerns that you didn’t expect, but don’t give up! There are some wonderful local examples to point to. Often they will be reassured if you say you are starting with just the tree and bush layers of a forest garden. Other layers can be added when your group and trees are established.
Formalising your group
It can seem daunting to make things ‘official’ but becoming a legal entity doesn’t have to be a drag, and the pros definitely out-weigh the cons.
If you’re just a few folk coming together for task days you may find support from your local council and perhaps even sneak in under their own Public Liability Insurance. That all important cover should the worst happen.
Formalising into a legal entity doesn’t mean you have to register as a business and get caught up in a burden of tax returns either. Groups can become constituted in a myriad of ways. These are often referred to as ‘Small Groups’, Constituted groups’, ‘incorporated organisations’ or you can go further and have charitable status or become a social or community enterprise. You only need a minimum of 3-4 people to get started and that often means you can then get your own bank account and start fundraising.
Resources:
Find your local voluntary support network
Guide to creating a constitution
Template constitution for a green space group
Drafting a design with key stakeholders
Gather some likely suspects to look at the potential site(s) to consider sun/shade, soil, drainage, predators (animals and humans!), and layouts that would enhance how the area is already used.
Outside, you can use slalom poles to get a conversation going about where the trees could go. The Orchard Design Kit is an excellent tool to use with a site map. There are various forest garden books that can you help your group think about the relative benefits of different species. Using these tools, come up with a simple design to share widely.
Raising funds
If you’re constituted and have a bank account, now the fun can begin. Depending on the scope and scale of your project finding funders can often be easier than you might think.
Try asking your local voluntary support agency, landfill operators funds, the Tree Council and Thatchers.
Getting feedback on the draft the design
Share your draft design online with a simple feedback form to find out what other local people think and gather interest in helping planting and maintaining the space. Here’s an example form. https://bit.ly/pendas
It’s also good to organise an event on site. Often we have done this in autumn as an Apple Day, which attracts people along to get a taste of what is to come. We use slalom poles to mark out where the trees could go, and move them around to explore different options.
Confirm the design
Look through all the feedback and agree a design that the landowner is happy with. You should also get them to check there are no underground cables or pipes in the way.