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!

12/18/2025

Time to kick out the jams! Every December we go through the bounty of fruit collected in our freezer and make some special jams and jellies. These are shared within our team, shared with partners and volunteers, and used in programming the next season. Lovely to preserve the harvest and relive the season’s flavors throughout the year!

First offerings out of the kitchen this year: fig jam, elder-aronia-mulberry jelly, and a couple jars of currant-gooseberry jelly! All fruits harvested at the POP Learning Orchard at The Woodlands.

1. Three jars of preserves surrounded by plants and sunlight.
2. Jar lids with descriptions of contents.
3. Bubbling figs in process of transformation to jam.

12/16/2025

Partnership is at the heart of what we do. At the end of the day, we work to nurture relationships between people and nature. This year, we welcomed two new orchards into the POP family: Penn Treaty Park and Viola Street Community Garden. It’s a family, because there’s no expiry date on our partnerships, and we hope that the fruits of these relationships will provide for generations.

Each year, we ask our partners to reflect on the season, to share stories about what their orchard means to the community. Read below to get a small glimpse into the magic moments happening all over the city.

🙏 Please consider making a gift today. We rely on individual donations, and every contribution truly makes a difference. 🔗 Link In Bio

"Multiple people will stop and tell us how important the trees and the green spaces are to their daily well being. The orchard brings together people from across many different cultures. Food is a universal language." — Barbara Hague, South Philadelphia High School Community Orchard

“I had a family come and try an apple from the tree and say it was the best experience and they never knew they could just reach up and grab an apple and eat it.” — Carly Freedman, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Karabots Center

“We hosted a number of events throughout our season, and our orchard is our gathering space. From our Seed to Supper gardening class, our Summer Chef Series, and our weekly field trips with school groups — the canopy of trees offers a safe and beautiful space for us to gather, share food, knowledge and each other’s company.” — Ellie Kaplan, Nice Roots Farm (Share Food Program)

“Our fig tree is a focal point of the orchard and attracts volunteers and community members who wouldn't normally visit the garden.The anticipation of the fresh figs brings folks together to help harvest and share the fruit. It's a joy to see people — young and old — trying their first ever fig. We not only share the figs with community members who visit the orchard but we also distribute them to community fridges in the surrounding neighborhood.” Nicole Friant Stewart, Universal Baptist Church Garden of Eden

Visit our BLOG to read many more! 🔗 Link in bio

12/12/2025

Fall was a season filled with glorious plantings in Philadelphia, including the newly planted Viola St. Orchard in West Philadelphia’s East Parskide neighborhood. The Viola St. Community Garden is a heritage garden on land that’s been tended to since the 1980’s made up of an informal group of 15 individuals, several of whom are long-time residents of the community. After being accepted as a POP partner, Sharon Appiah and Simone Shemshedini became the leads for the project, with help from Phil Forsyth. This was the beginning of a season-long journey of collaboration, communication and preparation!

Interested in learning more about the process and what was planted? Read all about it on the POP blog! Link in bio 🔗

Image Descriptions:

Image 1- newly planted perennial pollinator garden
Image 2- viola st. community orchard *before* the planting
Image 3- community member preparing to plant blackberries
Image 4- newly planted sour cherry tree
Image 5- simone taking a “mulch” needed planting break
Image 6- planting in, watering and mulching the orchard trees
Image 7- planning out the perennial pollinator garden with help from volunteers
Image 8- simone, mandy and sharon after completing the orchard planting
Image 9- post planting ice cream celebration!
Image 10- base map of the final design

11/25/2025

Citrus, olives, and bananas in Philadelphia?

Check out our new POP High Tunnel blog post via the linktree in our bio for exciting updates on this project!

Sounds pretty wild, yet these are all plants POP is experimenting to explore the possibilities for high tunnel fruit production in our city and region. In 2023, POP constructed two high tunnels at our headquarters at The Woodlands in West Philadelphia. A high tunnel is an unheated hoophouse structure, using only the sun’s energy to keep plants warmer.

One of the high tunnels is being used to grow a zone 8 food forest and explore new fruits and other plants from a slightly warmer climate. Philadelphia is currently listed as climate zone 7B, thus we are trying plants from one zone further south (adapted to lows around 10 to 20 degrees F). Part of this project is preparing for continuing climate change, helping to understand how to grow plants that we expect will soon be viable outdoors in Philadelphia. This new plant knowledge can then be shared with our community orchard partners across the city to expand the plant palette. Even before the climate changes, many of our urban farm partners already have existing high tunnel structures that could be used for these perennial crops in addition to the annual crops they already grow.

So what are we growing in the zone 8 food forest?

Zone 8 plantings include bananas, olives, hardy citrus (yuzu, kumquat, and citrumelo), loquat, pineapple guava, Korean tea, and capers, as well as herbaceous companions such as turmeric, ginger, lemongrass, and zaatar oregano.

We are also growing more temperate plants to get different seasons of production, including figs, pomegranates, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries.

Read more about how all these plants fared via our linktree!

1. Open orchard tour of POP’s zone 8 high tunnel.
2. Map of what’s currently planted in the high tunnel.
3. First yuzu fruit!
4. Caper berries and flower.
5. Fig season extended into November in the high tunnel.
6& 7. Prolific squash growing as understory crop.

11/20/2025

POP is grounded in relationships and powered by the dedication of many people, including our community orchard partners across the city, the more than 2,100 volunteers and participants who showed up this year, and of course, you!

Together, we have come a long way. Just like an orchard, an organization grows in seasons, and POP has blossomed. What began in 2007 as a humble volunteer-led effort has become a thriving nonprofit that impacts the whole city.

But the need for access to clean air, fresh food, and peaceful green spaces has never been greater. We know that real change comes from community. From neighbors. From you.

By investing in POP, you support 71 orchards in 24 zip codes in Philly.

Please consider making a gift today. POP is still a grassroots-powered organization doing big things. We rely on individual donations, and every contribution truly makes a difference.

🔗 Link In Bio

Image 1: Left Top: Strawberry Fest at Historic Strawberry Mansion. Left Bottom: Planting at Shackamaxon / Penn Treaty Park. Right: Jose of Farm Philly at Carousel House.

Image 3: Community educator Yam Vallis leading an elderberry syrup workshop at Mill Creek Urban Farm.

11/13/2025

Make your own biochar and compost tea!

Last Saturday at Sankofa Community Farm at Bartrams Garden, 18 community members attended a POP/SWWAG workshop on two of our favorite ways to build healthy, living soils for orchards and gardens. Alkebu-Lan presented on the history and benefits of biochar and demonstrated two different techniques for producing it. Phil presented on compost tea, including soil benefits, brewing techniques, and application recommendations.

Biochar and compost tea work very well in tandem and were applied to newly planted trees at the Sankofa/Bartrams Orchard! Biochar provides habitat for beneficial soil microbes and compost tea supplies the microbes that activate the biochar. Soil microbes including bacteria and fungi are as essential to plant health as nutrient content!

11/10/2025

As we’ve moved into the colder days, Asters have provided us the last beautiful blooms and insects, their last pollen of the season. Pictured above, Aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium), White-panicle aster (Symphyotrichum lanceolatum), Blue wood aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium) and New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) are native asters you can find within our orchards and all over southeast PA this time of year. Blooming from the end of summer into the last days of fall, Asters belong to the Asteraceae family, and are closely related to earlier bloomers like daisies and sunflowers.

The genus Aster once included hundreds of species, but modern taxonomy has reclassified many North American species into related genera like Symphyotrichum, Eurybia, and Ionactis. True Aster species are now primarily Eurasian. Native asters make beautiful additions to garden spaces and can be a simple replacement for non-native look alikes like mums.

11/10/2025

It's our last Open Orchard of the season!! Come out and explore the POP Learning Orchard at the beautiful and historic Woodlands Cemetery in West Philly. See what’s growing, take a guided tour at 11am, and try our Tree Finder Map online to learn more about the specific tree varieties.

No refreshments will be served, but we encourage you to BYO picnic. This is a free event but donations to support POP’s ongoing programs are appreciated.

Saturday, Nov 22
10am - 1pm

10/30/2025

Tree Netting Update 🍐🪾

In late July, POP staff at the Learning Orchard implemented tree netting as an alternative to fruit bagging as a physical control against pest predation in the orchard.

The Asian Pear row was selected for the experiment since it experienced heavy squirrel predation and crop loss in 2024: 1 tree was covered in netting (The cultivar “Chojuro”), 1 tree had some nylon fruit bags (the cultivar “Korean Giant”) and the remaining trees in the row were left without any sort of barriers or coverings (the cultivars “Shinseiki,” “Shinko,” and “Tsu Li”)

Due to lower mammalian predation on pome fruit this season, crop loss between the three various controls were more or less the same and overall the trees experienced significantly less predation than in previous years, with the “Tsu Li” and “Shinko” bearing significant harvests since being planted!

A possible explanation for this could be due to less drought-like conditions in the orchard, with Philadelphia experiencing a small increase in rain this season compared to last year.

POP staff will continue to experiment with tree netting next season to compare to this season’s findings! It is possible that changing conditions will impact the results of tree netting vs. fruit bagging vs. none of the above. Though having more fruit is always welcome, it would be great to see these controls in action so we can execute targeted controls to decrease future mammalian predation not only at the POP learning orchard but in community orchards across the city that may not be as lucky as we were this year!

Image Descriptions:

Image 1
“Chojuro” Asian Pear tree covered in a tree net

Image 2
Sharon holding the ripe “Chojuro” Asian Pear after harvest

Video 3
Sharon uncovering the sox from the “Korean Giant” Asian Pear

Image 4
Sharon holding the “Korean Giant” pear after harvest

Image 5
The “Tsu Li” Asian Pear almost ready for harvest, which was covered with neither netting nor a fruit bag

Image 6
The “Shinko” Asian Pear after harvest, which was covered with neither netting nor a fruit bag

10/28/2025

We had a great fall planting at Shackamaxon / this month! Filling in the second stage of our native food forest with an abundant flower and shrub filled pollinator garden. We prepared this space by solarizing, laying out a tarp to cover the soil, where it received heat from the sun for several weeks, through the end of summer and into fall. This helped to remove stubborn grasses and weeds. During the planting we further prepared the soil, spaced out our design, and planted nearly 150 plants with the Friends of Penn Treaty Park volunteer crew! The garden features native perennial favorites like bee balm, black eyed Susan, Baptisia, Coreopsis, chokeberry, native roses and more.

Images: New plantings, POP staff and Friends of Penn Treaty Park preparing to plant, aromatic aster, preparing the ground before the planting.

10/24/2025

Crimson dogwood leaves firework along the fenceline. Hachiya persimmons sunset orange gently alerting that they’re almost ready for picking. Sweet honeynut squashes, thin-skinned and bright, ripen on dying vines. Jujubes transition from crunchy, green, apple-like fruit to mellow date-like treats and fresh mulch steams in the early morning under the grapevine arbor and around this season’s aging berry canes in preparation for winter’s arrival. As another season slows and comes to the end at the POP Learning Orchard, harvests and colors abound with autumn’s gifts!

We give thanks to the orchard for a record-breaking fig harvest (averaging around 17 pounds a week for the last 2 months), the first ever pomegranate tasting from the Learning Orchard high tunnel, a productive season for the persimmon row, another delicious offering of maypop’s from the vines growing on the nursery fenceline and plenty of friends old and new to taste the orchard along the way. Here are some mid to late fall highlights from the POP Learning Orchard.

Catch some of this week’s harvest at the Black Farmer’s Market tomorrow 10/25 from 11-3 at the Freedom Greens + Garden on 5200 Pine St 🍏🥬🍅🌿

Image Details:

1. Early morning light peeking through a persimmon tree
2. A variety of figs and tomatoes for staff and volunteers to snack on or take home
3. Ripening Hachiya persimmon
4. Harvest of tomatoes, gita long beans and mustard greens
5. Goldrush apple tree
6. A walk along the persimmon tree row
7. A Medlar fruit
8. Volunteer cherry tomatoes and Fuyu persimmons packaged for distro
9. Becky, Phil and Sharon holding the largest Asian pears harvested in the orchard- aptly named ‘Korean Giant’
10. Maypops on the nursery fenceline
11. Caro admiring a sweet woolly bear caterpillar on the squash vines in the zone 8 high tunnel
12. The first pomegranate fruit harvested from the high tunnel pomegranate!
13. A van filled with new nursery plants for fall plantings across POP partner sites
14. A generous harvest of mushrooms, cucamelons, ground cherries and cherry tomatoes
15. Hibiscus grown from seedlings kindly gifted from the Build Your Home Apothecary cohort this year

10/16/2025

Can’t join us this Sunday at Sankofa’s HarvestFest at Bartram’s Garden? Don’t worry, we’ll be pressing more fresh cider at next Sunday’s Harvest Fest at Awbury Arboretum!

Sunday, October 26th, 2025 | 11 AM – 4 PM | The Farm at Awbury Arboretum, 6336 Ardleigh St.

Celebrate the season at Awbury Arboretum’s annual Harvest Fest! Gather with friends, family, and neighbors for a day filled with autumn fun across the farm. Harvest Fest is free and open to the public, this year’s festivities includes:

A bustling marketplace with local vendors
Delicious food and beverage trucks
Hayrides throughout the arboretum
Seasonal crafts and activities
And more fall favorites!

POP staff and volunteers will be pressing fresh apple cider between 11am-1:30pm.

Marketplace Vendors:

Resolve Philly | Shells Shea Naturals | Vintage Treasures | Indigo Child | Sir Michael’s STEM Table | Delta E.M. Wellness | A Good Thing For You, LLC | GFresh Emporium | Action Karate | & more!

Food and Beverage Vendors:

Philadelphia Mead Company | Calaveras Street Tacos | Hardy Funnel Cakes | 2 Street Sammies | Frios Popsicles | Cider Belly Hard Cider | & more!

More info about Awbury Harvest Fest:
https://awbury.org/event/harvest-fest-2025/

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!