Mobile Orchards
Mobile Orchards
Meet our newest project, learn about how far we’ve come, and how to get involved!
Check out our intern Amythest talk more about our project on KBOO's PDX Food Show: Mobile Orchards & Queer Farmers here!
We at Portland Fruit Tree Project are so excited to announce our new Mobile Orchards project! This program was created with the intention of combatting green gentrification while also increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables in lower income communities.
What’s Green Gentrification?
Green gentrification is a problem at the intersection of class and environmental issues. It describes the process of how introducing urban green projects and spaces into a lower income area has the potential to drive up property values and push out marginalized groups. An attempt at bringing in life-changing access to fresh fruits, vegetables, green spaces and urban farming can accidentally play a large role in erasing a neighborhood's culture and roots.
Portland Fruit Tree Project is learning how to best combat this issue while still working to increase access for these communities. Our solution came in the shape of up-cycled planter boxes made to house trees and gardens while still being transportable so we can make sure they are in the spaces where they are doing the most good. This means we could relocate the trees to follow families or remove them from a neighborhood if rent prices began to climb. The beds will be set up across the city in public locations such as in front of businesses, street accessible homes, and in housing complexes, with caretakers assigned who are equipped to tend to the fruits and vegetables the community wants to see.
Here’s what we’ve planted so far:
Cilantro
Kale
Apple Trees
Strawberries
Use the Form at the bottom of the page to let us know what you’d like to see planted in an orchard near you!
Juniper Wood
Our Mobile Orchards are made using sustainable Juniper wood to help mitigate its negative impact on our native grasslands, and are built to contain G1-dwarf tree varieties because they remain small enough for transportation. Our garden beds were designed and constructed by our member, Amethyst, and built to thrive in an outdoor space through its use of the super resilient wood. The boxes include space for water reservoirs, overflow channels, gravel, geo-textiles, and soil to best support the trees. Read more about our use of Juniper wood and it’s status as an invasive species here! Read more about our use of Juniper wood and it’s status as an invasive species here!
Our Current Locations
We would love to hear from you!
Have some ideas about what you’d like to see planted in our community orchards? Maybe you want to host a Mobile Orchard of your very own, or know just the perfect place for one? Let us know! We are always excited to hear community suggestions!