What's The Big Idea?
We have been planting fruit and nut trees around the Forest Fields, Hyson Green and Arboretum areas of Nottingham. They are in public places to act as a visual reminder of local resilience and community.
We planted four cider apple trees at the Lion pub in New Basford on Sunday 25th January to coincide with Burns Night. There was also a beer festival, haggis, bagpiper and Ceilidh band 'Five Go Off'. We wassailed (toasted) the trees with the help of Wholesome Fish!
We then put five trees in planters on a spare bit of land on Hartley Road in Radford and also planted some in the playground of Forest Fields Primary School.
We are inviting everyone to suggest any unused green spaces in the area where a tree could be planted. If you know of a site that needs a tree, go to the Suggest-A-Site section and leave a message.
If you would like to help with this project or are a local business, school or community organisation that is interested in sponsoring a tree, please leave your details on the Get Involved page.
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This project is a collaboration between Transition Forest Fields and the Partnership Council's 'Sprout' Project. You can find out more about these at the addresses below:
Join the Transition Forest Fields Yahoo group here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transitionff/
www.sproutnottingham.org.uk - supporting environmental and youth projects in Area 4
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We are currently planting trees in parks around Forest Fields, Lenton and Radford with help from the Council. They will be planted next to schools and community groups so that they can look after the trees, watch them grow and hopefully harvest and enjoy the fruit.
Why Plant Fruit and Nut Trees?
Growing our own food, in our own neighbourhood, connects us with the area that we live, work and play in. Fruit and nut trees are a visible sign that we can provide for ourselves and take responsibility for our own neighbourhood.
They are a low maintenance way of providing the community with fresh, organic food and offer a great return for the effort put in - for example, a single medium sized apple tree can produce up to 500 apples in a season, with a productive life of 15 to 20 years.
As well as providing food, fruit and nut trees are also good for the environment - they filter the air, condition the soil, provide shade, shelter wildlife and attract pollinators to the area.
