Parties consider growing 'open orchards' in Motueka

September 23rd, 2013
[by David Armstrong]

Tasman District Council, Keep Motueka Beautiful (KMB) and local permaculturalists are contemplating a project to plant and maintain public edible fruit and nut trees in Motueka.

The KMB committee has introduced the project idea into its future budget plans, and TDC's Horticultural Officer Kathy Tohill-Curnow says it would be great to extend the work council already does with edible plantings with schools and in its reserves.

She says the committee should begin fleshing out the concept this year so they can start to apply for project funding for the next financial year.

Motueka permaculture expert Petra Stephenson has been researching what are called Open Orchards as part of the Food Resilience Program for the Top of the South.

She found that not many public fruit and nut trees are available in Motueka or Tasman. "Whilst we will be encouraging schools to plant more edibles on their grounds, I believe there is an opportunity to plant more edibles around town," she said in a letter to KMB and TDC.

Permaculture is a branch of ecological design, ecological engineering, and environmental design that develops sustainable architecture and self-maintained agricultural systems modeled from natural ecosystems.

Petra said open orchards would serve two purposes: "It would create a resilient community of which one strand is food resilience, and it would give the town a theme. We have commercial growers all around the town, so why not continue the theme and bring it into the town?"

She offered the project organisers some suggestions for choice of plants:

Avoid species that require a spray program. Choose heritage trees and trees that are suited to the climate and soil type to avoid the need for routine spray programs.
Where possible, underplant these trees with nitrogen fixing plants to help with fertility, as well as deep rooting plants that cycle the minerals from below ground.
Where possible, underplant with companion plants to bring in beneficial insects.
If space permits, plant a whole food forest, a mix of plants that care for each other. After about five years minimal input is needed for maximum output.

She believed funding for the trees and plants should come from council, but the planting of fruit trees and the care of them could be a community project in several ways, including perhaps an 'Adopt a Tree' program where a person or family takes on the watering, mulching and care of the tree in a public place.

Comment by Ann Mac:
[Posted 29 September 2013]

Long overdue - beautifying the area with edibles can only be commended - bring it on. Even better if located nearby to walkways and cycle paths.

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