Community Orchards Handbook

A guide on how to start your own community orchard - from getting support and tackling legal issues to organising working parties and selling produce.

Since the 1950s we have lost 63 per cent of our orchards through development or neglect, and even though we have been able to grow 3,000 varieties of apple in England, almost 70 per cent of apples we buy are imported. Common Ground has worked to interest local communities in creating and saving orchards to provide fruit and nuts, havens for wildlife and places of beauty.

The Community Orchards Handbook shows how to start your own Community Orchard, from getting support and tackling legal issues, to organising work, selling produce and enjoying the fruits of your work together. It gives suggestions on ‘apple mapping’ and saving local varieties, and practical advice on planting, harvesting and safeguarding your orchard. It also includes a comprehensive resources section and is full of examples of diverse Community Orchard projects across the UK.

“"We used Common Ground's Community Orchards Handbook when we started The London Orchard Project, and it has proved invaluable ever since. It is a must-have for the aspiring orchard leader." - - Carina Dunkerley & Rowena Ganguli - Founders of The London Orchard Project”

Anyone thinking of establishing a community orchard would be foolish not to pay close attention to the points made, and will find helpful resources abound, both as website links within the text and in an appendix bursting with legal and policy documents, ideas for funding, sources of equipment, and contact details of national and local groups. Smallholder
This new, revised edition has sections on how to get started with planning an orchard, gaining support, writing a consultation, talking leases and other legalities such as insurance, securing access, dealing with health and safety and organising work parties. The Landsman
The new editiom reflects the increased interest in community food growing and will be invaluable help for communities and schools wanting to establish an orchard. This Is Dorset
The idea of Community Orchards is so good, so obviously right, that I think it's fair to describe it as vital. It will bring so much benefit to so many, in such an upbeat and positive way. I can't wait to see it happen more and more widely. Congratulations to Common Ground for their inspirational leadership and whole hearted good sense. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Common Ground's Community Orchards Handbook is a rich and diverse eco-system in itself, at once practical and lyrical, with elegy and energy intertwined. It's a handbook to be revelled in as much as dipped into for the handy hints. Jonathon Porritt
The Community Orchards Handbook sits within arm's reach of my desk, along with one or two other Common Ground publications. It is an indispensable and inspiring reference for anyone wanting to enrich the meaning of where they live and introduce biodiversity and delight into their locality. Kevin McCloud, presenter of Grand Designs
This wonderful book is an invaluable source of information for anyone interested in community, locally-produced food, and preserving and planting orchards. It is a 'must' for anyone who cares about these things. Rosie Sanders, artist and author of The Apple Book
This book is aimed at anyone who wants to establish a local community orchard. It is an infectious well-judged mix of the inspirational and the practical. If you are thinking of setting up a local community orchard, the first thing you should do is buy this book. Richard Borrie, editor of
Community Orchards Handbook is a delicious book. It argues that we need orchards around us not just because they reconnect us to culture, our sense of place and our history, and not just because they can boost our food security, but because they have a great potential for bringing us closer together, to form a focus point for community. A new social and cultural renaissance based on apples? Why not... Rob Hopkins, Transition Towns Network
We used Common Ground's Community Orchards Handbook when we started The London Orchard Project, and it has proved invaluable ever since. It is a must-have for the aspiring orchard leader. Carina Dunkerley & Rowena Ganguli, founders of The London Orchard Project
Common Ground has made thousands of people aware of the value of the local, the ordinary, the commonplace, and the everyday in their lives... It has renewed interest in the English apple and created a feast for it (Apple Day in October). For speaking to a part of our hearts that no one knew how to speak to before, Common Ground is the best green charity in these islands. Michael McCarthy, The Indepedent
This book encourages and celebrates the community spirits, social health and wellbeing that can be generated by fruit trees and orchards. Reforesting Scotland

Sue Clifford and Angela King are the founder-directors of Common Ground, a pioneering environmental charity playing a unique role in the arts and environmental fields. Their inspiring projects include Apple Day, Parish Maps and the Campaign for Local Distinctiveness.

Since the 1950s we have lost 63 per cent of our orchards through development or neglect, and even though we have been able to grow 3,000 varieties of apple in England, almost 70 per cent of apples we buy are imported. Common Ground has worked to interest local communities in creating and saving orchards to provide fruit and nuts, havens for wildlife and places of beauty. The Community Orchards Handbook shows how to start your own Community Orchard, from getting support to tackling legal issues, organising work, selling produce and enjoying together the fruits of your work. It gives suggestions on 'apple mapping' and saving local varieties, and practical advice on planting, harvesting and safeguarding your orchard. It includes a comprehensive resources section and is full of examples of diverse Community Orchard projects across the UK.

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