I like it. Would contact the owner first before I started to recruit anybody....unless you know people who had influence over him....

Sounds like a wonderful idea. I would vote for some kind of orchard 'forest garden', with nitrogen-fixing and/or food producing shrubs, perennials, and understory plants growing beneath and around the fruit trees.

In terms of the zoning, I don't think the owner would have to change anything if he would still own the property. A tax break is doubtful though. Usually there is a minimum size for agricultural land, and then they require proof that all or part of that land was used the previous year for growing crops.

I hope everything works out for you. Good luck!

I think it will work if you have about 1000 hours to spare.

You'll be the one to have to collect everyone's money (some people will be reluctant/forget to pay, even though they agreed to). You'll be the one to divvy up the produce (Some people will think their $10 earns them an unlimited share. Others won't get anything for their $10 and will be unhappy.) You'll also be the one to organize the ordering, planting, and care of the trees.

You'll need some type of pest protection program. You'll at least be organizing that (possibly doing it yourself). If there is a creek with trees close by, you will have wildlife taking most the harvest unless you have some control measures.

You also have the possibility the owner will sell the property once you get the orchard established (I doubt the owner would be willing to sign away his right to sell the property.)

If it's a small piece of property, is there a way you can simply purchase the property yourself and have your own garden/orchard? I know some places land prices are prohibitive, but you indicated this is a very small piece of land and it's been on the market for a long time.

and when you finally succeed, people may steal your apples, because the site is unsupervised. Chances of it working are 1%. Only enter in collaborations with people you know well. You may consider starting with a core group of 3-5 families, with rules for letting other families in. You will still have the problem of losing your fruits to two-legged animals, for which there is no cure except keeping your trees very close to home. Or grow Arkansas Black or other apples which ripen after a month in storage.

Listen to Olpea and Glib. Growing fruit is not easy and requires a lot of time, luck and patience.

Even if you plant the trees this spring, you're not talking about a good harvest until year 3 or 4, and that is only if you have weather that is cooperative. You can get earlier fruit, but usually not a lot.

I'd be worried the owner will sell the property or decide he doesn't like it full of trees so he's going to use roundup or chainsaw and clear it.

I'd either buy the land or plant annuals (vegetables/flowers). Trees are long term (5+ years).

It really too small for community veggies, unfortunately. I'm going to propose the city use a strip on the other side of the street for. I'll Community garden, rain garden qndm/or prarie restoration. I'll take pics of both straws today and post them. Not sure how many critters there will be. It is a compromises water way and I am one house from the creek also (further down the street) and rarely see any. People might be a different story though. There are 3 houses that have a clear direct view of the lot so that could help deter problems. Idk. I still think its better then doing nothing with it even if it Disney work out perfectly.

And thank you all for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate the different perspectives. I tens to be an optimist although the head of my department says that bad. Lol. He says not to be optimistic but nor to be a pessimist. He says to just do it, because nothing will ever change otherwise.

And thank you all for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate the different perspectives. I tens to be an optimist although the head of my department says that bad. Lol. He says not to be optimistic but nor to be a pessimist. He says to just do it, because nothing will ever change otherwise.

Mindy: Olpea, Glib, Franktank are all right... if you and/or the neighbors really expect a return (in the form of fruit) on the money you put into this, you may be in for a disappointment.

However, my initial read of your idea was more of something you could all get together to do that might benefit the owner and your neighborhood, not in order to make money selling loads of fruit at the farmer's market or something. I love the optimism of your kind of ideas!

One more comment: I'm surprised whenever I hear concern over losing fruit to passersby. In all the places I've lived in this country so much fruit goes to waste, whether on vacant unprotected lots, in parks, or in people's backyards. It's a sad fact that most people prefer to get their fruit from the store over picking it off the tree.

"One more comment: I'm surprised whenever I hear concern over losing fruit to passersby. In all the places I've lived in this country so much fruit goes to waste, whether on vacant unprotected lots, in parks, or in people's backyards."

Many times so true, but that's starting to change.

Although different than stealing from a home orchard, there were reports this summer of people entering commercial berry fields at night and stealing large amounts of fruit.

Farm markets are gaining popularity and fresh fruit sells quickly. There will always be people who steal anything of value if they can liquidate it easily.

The bottom line is this is a good idea. Olpea has some reality checks but I think as a community project it is good.
I personally have been working with an antique orchard here in Seattle where the fruit is publicly picked both by passersby and by the ones who take care of the orchard and we use this fruit for our Harvest Festival. I have found that I can even enlist passersby to help sanitize the orchard (throwing away fallen apples) and to put on foot sox in the Spring. However, the fact is that when it comes to "divvying up the booty" at Harvest time it does become somewhat problematic....the "law of the commons" can work...but only to a point.

www.pipersorchard.org

My suggestion is to ask for volunteer donations from people who do not have to have a certain return in terms of the fruit they hope to get but are more interested in just giving their time and money away with the hopes of making the community better and getting an education. If they happen to get some fruit from it, so much the better.

(Another organization I work with is also involved in this sort of thing and we would be interested in hearing your results:
www.cityfruit.org)

Thanks again everyone. Faba: you are correct. There is no intention of any "profit". Just wantint to put the space to good use. I'll let you all knowhat the owner says. So far I've only gotten thru to a full mailbox.

Mindy,
Remember, he's paying taxes on that property that wont yield anything comparatively. He's best off dumping it onto your lap. Offer him 35% of the list price, if it's even worth it. Maybe he can work a write off to the city for a write off and have them donate it to the community. I guess it's a lot to pay for a garden right now.

I like Noogy's idea. You should see if the city is interested in turning it into a community garden and then work the owner with that angle. Keep us posted, this is a great idea and the country needs more optimistic doers like you!

I don't call my farm community but the neighbors might. They can pick what they need as long as they keep following my rules. Rule one don't wander and pick the best.I eat the culls and save the best for market. rule two pick clean. Nobody wants to pick where 1/2 the crop is already gone. rule three if you bring your kids teach them rule one and two. Total loss is about 4 bu of fruit and veg's a year. That is a small price to pay for 30 pair of eyes watching the garden like it was their own.

A noble idea, but you need one responsible person with ownership control. Relying on a possibly benevolent property owner is likely to result in disappointment or frustration.

See if it can be had at a reasonable price.

Mindy,
I think this is a great idea. Start with varieties that don't get diseases, are precocious, or have fairly unusual flavors that you and your friends like more than others. Then adjust to see how it goes.
John S
PDX OR

In my regular "joe job" I work at a bank and I've come across several situations like this. In some cities the owner can sign over the property to the city (or county)- or put it in some sort of trust. Sometimes you can write off the retail value of the land or take a tax deduction over a number of years. The land can be rezoned into a city park and the local neighborhood can tend the land. There is a great example of this in several locations of Olathe, Kansas. The gardens/orchards look great and they get no theft/vandalism. I believe the city has minimal control of what they grow or how they landscape and are there more as a resource. The extention office also lends out their master gardeners.

There is a canyon behind our property which has "colonized" a lot of volunteers over the years, including a huge date tree. The dates hang heavy on it - but because they are in need of sulfur spraying, the only use for them is the birds - which I am all in favor of.

There is also a very large patch of cactus that yields heavy crops of cactus apples each year. From time to time, I see folks shinny down the cliffs to harvest those apples and presumably make a lot of goodies out of them - jellies, wines, etc. Unfortunately, my age limits my ability, but if I were 60 years younger, you can bet I'd have some cactus apple jellies sitting on my shelf.

Why not be a "Johnny Appleseed" - you know the fella - just happened to drop a few seeds along his travels in life - then if all works out OK - and the owner doesn't cut them down, perhaps something good can come out of it.

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

I took a different tack and asked our tiny town if I could plant fruit trees in the vacant block across the street from my house, the property belongs to the city. I did so knowing full well all of the calamities that could befall the orchard, both human and nature caused. Why did I do it, because I love doing it, the effort is the reward, the fruit are the bonus.

There are many good points above in the previous posts to consider.