Philadelphia Orchard Project

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Philadelphia Orchard Project

Mission. The Philadelphia Orchard Project plants and supports community orchards in the city of Philadelphia.

POP partners with a wide variety of community groups, providing them with an orchard design, plant sourcing, planting supervision, and training in orchard care. Our community partners own, maintain, harvest, and distribute the orchard produce within their neighborhoods, thus expanding community control over their food resources. POP currently supports 67 community orchards and has planted 1,578 fruit trees over the last 15 years!

03/01/2025

Witch hazel (Hamemelis) blooming at The Woodlands kicks off our season in Philadelphia, just in time to coincide with the PHS Flower Show! Next up: Cornelian Cherries and Apricots. . .

02/26/2025

You've heard about our Pruning Guide, but did you know about our Pruning Video Series? It's packed with great information and an extremely cool 80s soundtrack.

Mira la guía de poda y la serie de videos sobre poda con subtítulos en español.

Link in bio 🔗
Enlace en el perfil 🔗

02/21/2025

At the end of each season, POP sends out a survey to all of our orchard partners. We ask what they value and what they want. We learn about their experiences, successes, and challenges. We learn about yields, how the harvest was used, and how people used the orchard space. Partners share stories and help us understand how POP can best support them. These surveys inform our plan for the coming season and help keep our programs responsive and evolving.

The vast majority of stories talked about the power of orchards to bring people together and build community across generations and cultures. They mentioned the value of coming together to learn and work around food and the land, and many partners were particularly excited about youth engagement. This highlights that the importance and benefits of orchards are not only diverse, but often complementary and intersectional. These stories show community, learning, food, health, nature, and beauty in harmony.

🍎 Tito at Historic Fair Hill shared: "The orchard serves as a vital community hub, offering both educational workshops and access to fresh produce in a food desert. Recent events like the Pawpaw Ice Cream workshop and the Trifoliate Orange workshop demonstrate its role in fostering local learning and sustainability while addressing food insecurity."

🍐 Another partner shared: "I was able to take a second grade class from the local elementary to the garden three times over the last year to learn about compost, seed saving, and insects. It was wonderful to see them outside digging in the dirt and learning about the infinite potential in a seed. "I’m rich with seeds" I heard one kid yell as he pocketed his envelope full of amaranth."

Learn more by checking out the POP blog!
Link in bio 🔗

Images:

1. Five people standing around a table, working with herbs. Astro-herbalism Workshop with Tahnee Simone. Urban Creators – Life Do Grow Farm, May 2024.

2.Three people standing under trees, Biodynamic Orcharding Workshop with Mike Biltonen, Awbury Arboretum, June 2024.

3. Mulberries laying on an open palm.

02/18/2025

Collecting scion wood has been done since humans began cultivating fruit trees. Scion wood is a young branch cutting from a tree that is used to propagate a plant variety through grafting. Grafting is a technique that joins the tissues of two or more plants together so they become a single plant. This allows growers to combine the desired fruit traits of one variety with the desired properties of a rootstock. This is where scion wood comes in!

In order to get a consistent, high quality fruit with desirable characteristics, scion wood can be used for grafting and propagation of that specific variety with those traits. Scion wood is collected by pruning off the last foot of first year wood. The scion wood should be ideally at least a pencil's thickness and relatively straight. Ensure there are no fruiting buds or fruiting spurs, only vegetative buds! Go for younger trees.

Scion collection is an important practice rooted in history, conservation, and sustainability. The practice of collecting scion wood is a way to preserve and committed to sharing these varieties for generations to come!

Learn more by checking out the POP blog!
Link in bio 🔗

Images:
1. Attendee at POP grafting workshop labels scions.
2. Scion + rootstock = graft (source: wikimedia commons)
3. Depiction of 1st and 2nd year wood
4. Scion wood in bundles.

02/14/2025

A couple weeks ago we hosted our very first POPCORE 1 Pruning Session specifically for POP Partners and Lead Orchard Volunteers. We kicked off the workshop with a delicious lunch from followed by a teach-in from POP Staff. We took it all the way back to grade school days with our overhead projector to provide real-time visuals, all drawn by our talented Orchard Coordinator, Simone. After the teach-in we headed down to the orchard for some hands-on practice with the trees.

It was an absolute treat to gather our partners and LOVs for the start of the season and we can’t wait to do it again real soon!

02/07/2025

Quieres aprender a mantener frutales y zarzas? Acompáñanos para un taller técnico de poda en español.
✂️🌳 Sábado 1 de marzo 1:00-3:30 🪚🌳

Nuestro equipo te enseñará cómo formamos un árbol que de buena producción de fruta y cómo hacemos los cortes claves para estimular un crecimiento saludable. También les contamos cómo eliminar correctamente las ramas enfermas o rotas en hacer la poda de emergencia.

🎟️ Este es un taller gratis para la comunidad hispanohablante. Se puede registrar en nuestra página web o por email [email protected]

Taller de poda: Sábado 1 de marzo de 2025 1:00-3:30. Fecha por lluvia/nieve será el próximo Sábado 8 de marzo.

Dónde: Historic Fair Hill, 2901 Germantown Ave. Filadelfia, PA 19144

Serviremos té caliente y colación para todes.

https://www.phillyorchards.org/events-new/juntos-podamos-2-698/

01/29/2025

Pruning season is here!
Our staff kicked off the season in Overbrook today pruning over a dozen trees. Swipe to see before and after pruning of this italian plum ✂️ 🌳 🪚

01/22/2025

It’s that time of year again! Please join us for our Pruning Workshop coming up mid February. We’ll be teaching the fundamental elements of pruning and you’ll get some hands on practice too!

Space is limited so registration is required!

*Register under our POP Events tab in our link tree*

Can’t wait to see yall there!

01/17/2025

Yikes, next week’s forecast looks brutal!

Possible fig damaging temperatures Monday through Thursday. Been a few years since we had this much extended, severe cold! Unprotected figs are likely to have some tip damage as a result. Older figs will live and rebound, but definitely advisable to protect younger figs and pomegranates if you haven’t already!

The simplest technique for winter protection of young figs is to tie all the branches as close together as possible, surround the tree with some fencing, and fill the fencing with fall leaves, straw, or other available materials to provide insulation. If available, a tarp can also be placed on top. It is okay if some of the branches stick out. If we have a mild winter, those unprotected branches will be fine; if we get a harsh one, you’ll simply cut them off in the spring after growth begins.

Another easy method for protection is to tie the branches together and surround the whole thing with an old carpet. Layers of burlap, row fabric, or even old bedsheets can also be used, although make sure to attach them securely so they don’t blow away. For older, bigger figs, you may need to wrap individual trunks/branches with this kind of insulation to protect them.

For extreme cold protection (up to zone 5), some growers actually bury their figs for the winter. A fig “grave” is dug on one side, then the roots are severed on the opposite side and the whole plant is lowered into the ground and covered with the excavated soil!

1. Photo of POP staff surrounding figs with fencing stuffed with fall leaves.

11/26/2024

As of this fall, POP is now partnered with a total of 70 community orchards across the city!

In November we helped to plant a new orchard with Sanctuary Farm in the Sharswood neighborhood of North Philly on a formerly vacant lot across from their main farm site. POP and Sanctuary planted a series of raised beds with dwarf figs, Nanking cherries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries and a pollinator garden of native flowers from the Xerces Society was planted around the perimeter of the site. We are also grateful to the Backyard Eats team for volunteering their time to prep the site and fill the beds!

1. 5 POP and Sanctuary team members pose with newly planted tree and raised beds.

2. Three Sanctuary team members plant figs and cherries in a raised bed.

3. Sanctuary staff member waters newly planted blueberries with bright red foliage.

4. Nine volunteers from Backyard Eats pose with newly constructed raised beds.

11/22/2024

Recent shots from our high tunnel at ! Last week marked one year since our citrus plants and olive tree went into the ground at the zone 8 food forest in the high tunnel.

We’ve added a couple of new things this planting season and are excited to see how they acclimate to the mysterious climate this winter will bring. Not featured here are kumquat, citrumelo, banana and pomegranate as well as the ground covers which helped amend our soil.
Stay tuned as we share more end of year updates of the year at PLOW!

Photo ID
1 - Arbequina Olive
2-4 Loquats buds to flowers in October and November, these trees are unusual in that they flower after the summer and will (hopefully) be the first to fruit in the spring
5-6 Yuzu fruit
6 - Ginger leaves and strawberry ground cover

11/21/2024

POP envisions Philadelphia as a sprawling and interconnected food forest, where everyone has access to fresh food, clean air, and peaceful green spaces. It is a vision of cooperation and harmony. By investing in POP, you support 70 orchards in 24 zip codes in Philly.

Since POP started in 2007, partnership has been at the core of everything we do. Community orchards are all about relationships across the ecosystem. Like a maturing tree that thrives in its environment, as POP moves through our 17th year, we strive to use our reach to support and uplift our communities.

We learn from every orchard and share the knowledge with all, as we did this year with our new pest and disease action plans. We nurture long term relationships and advocate for our partners, as we did at the City Council hearing on Urban Agriculture in May. We invest in our collective future, as we did with our first major capital project: two new high tunnels at the POP Learning Orchard to extend the nursery’s season and develop climate resilience strategies.

The other piece is you. Together, we can do this. And we have to do it together.

We are a small organization that works hard to raise money to carry out the work. We depend on individual donations, and none of this would be possible without your support.

Your contribution is a vote of confidence for our future. Every donation is greatly appreciated and helps create a greener and more fruitful city that will thrive for generations to come. On behalf of POP’s board, staff, and our partners, thank you!

🔗 Donate link in bio!

11/13/2024

In October, POP helped to expand orchard plantings at the CommUnity Garden at The Creek, in the Mill Creek neighborhood of West Philly. New raised beds around a walking labyrinth were filled with native perennial wildflowers donated by Xerces Society, to accompany future berry plantings.

The planting was completed with students from nearby Alaine Locke School as part of a community celebration including music, food, neighbors, and many community organizations.

1. Photo of labyrinth garden, with a drum circle in the middle and people planting a perimeter raised bed.

2. Photo of youth planting perennial flowers in raised beds.

3. Photo of POP team member assisting youth in planting.

11/06/2024

This Saturday at our partner site Historic Gumblethorp, it’s the 6th annual Ginkgo Roast!
Come celebrate the majestic gingko biloba with us as we roast ginkgo nuts and taste ginkgo bean curd soup. The event will be held under one of the oldest female gingko trees in the country right in Germantown.

Photos from last years beautiful event by
Saturday November 9th 1-3pm
5267 Germantown Ave.

Image description:
flyer with details above
Gingko nuts roasting over the fire
Participants picking up nuts
Close up of Gingko before cleaning
Participants picking up nuts surrounded by yellow leaves
POP staff Caro checking out the soup
Gingko bean curd soup brewing
Closed pan roasting over the fire
Roasted & salted Gingko nuts

11/05/2024

Planting is an Election Day tradition for POP! Today we added to the POP Learning Orchard at The Woodlands with new plantings of cranberries, wild strawberries, gotu kola, purple prairie clover, tickseed, St. John’s wort, purple raspberries, and a beach plum.

Photo shows 4 POP staff planting cranberries in the berry garden with blue skies above.

11/04/2024

This year at POP, we went absolutely bananas for bananas 🍌🌀✨ Originating in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific, this herbaceous perennial now boasts over 1,000 varieties all over the world, with only a handful that cold-hardy in our temperate climate.

While the vibrant Japanese Hardy Banana (Musa basjoo) is a widely planted ornamental in Philadelphia gardens and yards, with the capacity to survive temperatures as frigid as -10°F when properly protected, POP is experimenting with two other resilient cultivars including the Musa ‘Rajapuri’ and Musa ‘Orinoco’ at the POP Learning Orchard.

Whether or not they’ll make it through the winter, flower and fruit in our zone next season is still in question, but POP staff and volunteers are readily anticipating how the new additions will fare in the upcoming months.

Interested in learning more about growing cold hardy bananas in Philadelphia? Want to know which cold hardy cultivars offer edible varieties? Curious to learn about how Sharon has been running into hardy bananas since 2019? Check out the most recent POP Spotlight on the Philly Orchards blog now! Link in bio

[Photo Descriptions]

Image 1: a lush, vibrant green ornamental banana plant pictured in West Philadelphia

Image 2: Communications Director, Indy Shome, planting the Musa ‘Rajapuri’ banana in the POP Learning Orchard at the end of May 2024

Image 3: Orchard Director, Sharon Appiah, pictured with the Musa ‘Rajapuri’ in late July 2024

Image 4: The Musa ‘Rajapuri’ pictured at the end of October 2024

Image 5: The Musa ‘Orinoco’ at the POP zone 8 high tunnel in August 2024

Image 6: The Musa ‘Orinoco’ at the POP zone 8 high tunnel October 2024

Image 7: A video of the POP learning orchard ‘Rajapuri’ banana swaying on a lovely summer day

Image 8: The bright green foliage of the ‘Rajapuri’ banana

Image 9: A cream colored banana flower of a mature Musa ‘Basjoo’ growing in West Philadelpjia

Image 10: Sharon pictured with a golden, shedded ‘Rajapuri’ banana leaf from the POP Learning Orchard

11/01/2024

Today we’re highlighting our Orchard Director Sharon who leads our planning and direction at Learning Orchard at the Woodlands!
🍐
Where’d you grow up? I grew up in Worcester, MA!
🍓
What influenced you to start working with the the land?
To be honest, I can’t recall a specific moment that ignited me. I grew up playing outside, so before stewarding, I had a connection to the land through play, exploration, immersion and curiosity. I have always enjoyed being around plants, trees and different bodies of water and understood them as spaces where I felt the most held, so it makes sense that working in collaboration with the land came quite divinely over time.
🌳
What made you want to get involved with POP?
I found the idea of working with fruit trees incredibly enticing! POP seemed like an organization where I could bridge so many of my interests together: working in community, growing and cultivating food that would be accessible to those that needed it and building my agricultural and horticultural skills in a supportive environment.
☀️
What’s been your favorite part about working in a orchard ?
The work grounds me in ways I can’t even begin to describe. I feel grateful for the opportunity to develop relationships with plants that come back season after season and the kinship that is built between all of us who tend to the land and the land itself. I had a friend visit the orchard when I wasn’t there and they said they could feel me there! So many of our orchards feel like sacred spaces and I’m grateful for the trust and exchange.

10/30/2024

As we approach the end of the season, this month presents a few more opportunities to come together. We are excited to offer two public workshops, a handful of volunteer work days, and open hours at the POP Learning Orchard. See you soon!

🌳🍊 TRIFOLIATE ORANGE WORKSHOP
Saturday, Nov 9, 1 pm - 2pm
Historic Fair Hill, 2901 Germantown Ave

We will be doing a make-and-take of Trifoliate Cheong, a sugar ferment! These are the most cold-hardy citrus easily grown in our region, but the fruit has a bitterness that makes them more challenging to work with.

Jeannie Gerth, a fermenter, gardener, forager, permaculturist, and POP Lead Orchard Volunteer has been tasting and testing trifoliate oranges all season and is ready to share what she’s come up with and what she learned about their medicinal benefits.

🌳🍇 OPEN ORCHARD
Saturday, Nov 16, 10 am - 12 pm
POP Learning Orchard, 4000 Woodland Ave

Explore what’s growing on at the POP Learning Orchard at The Woodlands! Open orchard from 10am to 12pm, with a scheduled guided tour at 11am with POP Orchard Educator Alkebu-Lan Marcus.

🌳🍎 ORCHARD DESIGN WORKSHOP
Saturday, Nov 23, 1 pm - 3 pm
POP Learning Orchard, 4000 Woodland Ave

We will meet in the warmth of the hoophouse to discuss different design approaches and considerations using POP community orchards and food forests as case studies.

We’ll go over plant selection, highlighting climate adaptive plants we love to work with. And then we’ll go out into the orchard to get some hands-on practice in doing soil sampling and creating base maps, a scaled drawing of an existing space, the first step to creating a design.

Visit the EVENTS link in our bio to sign up 🔗
Don't forget to subscribe to our Volunteer mailing list to get email notifications.

Image: A POP volunteer and two young visitors pressing apple cider at POP's Annual Orchard Celebration.

Address

4000 Woodland Avenue
Philadelphia, PA
19104

Telephone

+12157241247

Website

https://linktr.ee/PhillyOrchards

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Plant the Future with POP!

POP partners with a wide variety of community groups, providing them with an orchard design, plant sourcing, planting supervision, and training in orchard care. Our community partners own, maintain, harvest, and distribute the orchard produce within their neighborhoods, thus expanding community control of food resources. POP currently supports 62 community orchards in neighborhoods across the city and has planted 1,258 fruit trees over the last 11 years!