Free fruit Trees in Public Places

Ellen says...
yeah, I think it is such a waste of spaces to plant those useless gum trees, during the hot summer heat waves months it only causes those bush fires, such a hazard.

I wish my council would permit me to plant fruit trees beside those foot paths instead of making us put on turfs.

HappyEarth says...
Urban food production is essential for a sustainable future.

Hey Correy, just saw this clip on abc news regarding urban food growing in Chippendale, Sydney:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2009/10/29/2727866.htm

Down here in Wollongong we hoping to implement a fruit street tree planting with Wollongong city council. Ill let you know how it all goes :)

Rich
www.happyearth.com.au

Ellen says...
don't get me wrong Kath, I do understand the balance and the importance of it, but there is no need for the front of my house to have 4 of them, and I am in the middle of a highway, yet 50 yards away is a little park.

Do you know what it's like with all those branches broken off when big winds come?, last time when we have one of those mini storm one got uprooted and fell on top of my car, my insurance refuse to cover for it, even though it was an act of nature.
We were not allow to trim off dead branches, and it it had overgrown into our overhead electrical wirings supplying into our house. Every time it is windy, it dangling wavy with the winds, our electricals appliances in the house flickering on and off as it goes with it. we'd call the council, and it would take 9months to a year before those folks would come down and trim some off.
I use to enjoy those morning sunlight rays piercing through my windows in the morning it warm up the house, now I don't get that any more b/c those overgrown gum trees on the foot path planted by the council had blocked it off completely .
After each rainy session we have, my front yard are covered with dead small branches, I cannot see the grass any more.

CJ says...
Hi Kath, I completely agree with you. Unfortunately our native species are quite undervalued by developers. There are a lot of trees that aren't suitable for urban areas (such as Ellen's pesky gums!) but there are many more choices that are.

The public fruit trees is an interesting concept but I would worry about maintenance. Councils (in WA at least) like as little maintenance as possible.

J R says...
Shahtoot Mulberry is a delicious fruit-fly free fruit tree for nature strips,but it has huge long roots,so would a Daley's dwarf mulberry be better?
I planted a Shahtoot,then the council pulled it up a few weeks later.

Wicked.

Gus says...
We are trying to start an edible demonstration garden on campus he at uni. (La Trobe, Bendigo).

It's slowly getting there.

That's not quite the question asked, but similar.

Manda says...
I think this is an awesome concept... I loved the river cottage eposide about it it made me feel very inspired.

Elf says...
Great idea, I'm a strong supporter of that concept.
Straggly bottlebrush street trees look super unsightly and humungous gums street trees can be dangerous. I know native trees are important and all, but koalas don't dwell in street trees, though Magpies and I'm sure other things do.
I like the idea of fruit fly resistant fruit trees, no need to make that problem worse - it's such a shame for pomes and stonefruit :(

Bushtucker trees get my vote too. I think we are tragically undereducated about our native foods. I know next to nothing.

Love the Byron plan. I stumbled on a blog from Norfolk Island recently and they are pretty much self sufficient food wise because they have very strict quarantine laws. It would be great if you could buy most of your fruit and veg from mostly local sources and learn to live with seasonal foods. It's more normal, isn't it?

I went to the local farmer's market for the first time on the weekend hoping for wads of local fruit and veg, but apart from $6 a kg apples and pears and very expensive strawberries there was hardly any f & v :( I will keep going, it might change over the seasons.

blah blah :)

anonymous says...
Yes, you are definitely.

Albert Einstein says...
FRUIT CITY: a living growing map of the fruit trees in public spaces in London

http://www.fruitcity.co.uk/

http://www.fruitcity.co.uk/map/

http://www.fruitcity.co.uk/species/

Wayne says...
It would be nice to have some native trees to encourage some Koalas to come visit, see how relaxed this guy is.

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1

Jimmy says...
Most shires in Perth specifically will not allow Macadamias as street trees due to the possibility that people will slip over on the round nuts...

Told to me by Peter Coppin.

Jane says...
Macadamias need to be planted along the edges of bush parks so the nuts don't drop on the footpaths, and yet people can se them and access them if they wish. All street trees need to be planted so they are not dropping fruit, seeds, nuts, leaves onto cars or houses or making footpaths slippery: if sensible consideration for situational differences is the norm then practical solutions for everybody, could be negotiable. Forums such as this provide valuable conversations for establishing guidelines for consideration when putting forth proposals or simply planting yourself. well done folks.

Jessica says...
I have always suggested this to my husband & we tried to think as to why the councils were NOT doing this, our reasoning was potential poisoning if passerby's ate sprayed fruit & a loss of income for growers if the street scaping became large scale. I would like to see the the 'ideal' of people picking free fruit as the walked the streets, but there are potential drawbacks.

Tropicdude says...
I have to agree with Nash, no one loves fruits and fruit trees as much as me, but its not practical to have fruit trees planted all over the city and or the "burbs", city planners usually select trees for low maintenance, and for other attributes, like how the roots grow, can they handle drought, even whether they drop leaves all at once or over a long period of time, do they tolerate pollution etc. fruit trees need pruning, fertilizers and cleaning up after.

Now on community gardens, I do like these, I do not think they will save the planet but, these gardens will only attract those that like gardening anyway, it brings people together, they can make "eye sore" areas into beautiful places. and of course the added benefit of fresh veggies and greens. I also like the idea of Urban farms ( hydroponics Aeroponics etc.) I know that not everything can be grown in the city but many things can, when you think of all the fuel used to transport veggies into the cities, it makes sense to grow these on roof tops of buildings. of course these would be commercial and profitable projects.

Who knows maybe someday we will have vertical city farms like this one:

Rev says...
ok
so up here in NQ theres mango trees bloody everywhere
now the diffrence is between the south and the north is that theres still heaps of wildlife here
Fruitbats and parrots get the lions she or - everything
great if you want to eat fruitbats and parrots, you coul just sit on your deck with a blowgun an harvest the bounty

anyway interestingly the fruitfly isnt that bad here! noweher as bad as when i was in nthn NSW

i like the idea. but there are suitable trees and unsuitable trees for streets, and that list'll change with the areas

for example theres issues like disease, mess, spines, blah blah

if were going to have rules, they need to say who is responsible for what, and what happen if they dont maintain it

with education to give guidlines on the bst species

but not hard rules. i mean for heavens sake, councils arent even a lawful form of govt under the constitution! we cant hav them telling us what to do anymore.

ok so suggestions that ive seen work very well to follow

Sarah says...
I only have a little story to share. On 12.10.09 I and some friends parked our cars on Broughton Road, Artarmon to catch the train to the city. When returning I stopped, quite surprised to see a mulberry tree growing on the curb side (I assume this is council land?) It was about 1.5 metres high, healthy and full of green mulberries. I exclaimed to my friends what it was and how exciting it was to see it there. Interestingly, my friends said they had seen these massive trees near where they live at Marayong (near Breakfast creek) but didn't know what they were. They felt confident then to pick them once the berries were ready.
I think it is a brillant idea to plant food. I'm looking forward to reading and learning more. Sarah

Itdepends says...
Mind you- isn't the apple isle free of fruit fly and codling moth?- two of the pests that might otherwise breed in an un treated fruiting street tree?

PeterC says...
There have been some good comments so far on both sides. What we need is a blend of suitable trees, both those that help our native environment and those that we can use.
High maintenance fruit trees or those that harbour exotic pests or diseases should be avoided (& that varies from state to state). In WA there are many useable tree species - macadamia, pecan, mulberry, Eureka lemon, etc.
There is one council in Perth who have banned macadamias from verges, but who are still planting Queensland box (Lophostemon confertus) - how silly is that? So Box seeds are OK but macadamias aren't? What about all Eucalyt seeds (gumnuts)?
I think the answer is for all local government bodies to foster community food gardens that include fruit trees.

Roger says...
Hi all, some - mostly all good comments.Most of the fruit from my 2 to 3 thousand tropical fruit trees is eaten by the flying foxes and my few cows eat what falls, not such a big loss as the return is pretty minimal all things taken into account. My biggest campaign has been to slow up the killing of coconut trees in public places and even encouraging the planting of more - see one of my letter's to the editor attached- in between tripping around the pacific and Cape York Peninsula encouraging locals to plant and maintain more fruit trees. Probably the biggest issue is to select the best tree/plant for the location or modify the location to suit the plant. Best done by small groups of like minded people with access to good decision making information.
It is mango season up here and public place-mango trees are carpeted with fallen half eaten fruit - birds and flying foxes again. Good shade trees for the rest of the year.Our local council has been very active in planting various edible fruit trees but unfortunately when the cyclones come and damage them it is easier to chop them out. I could go on but a last point for today was the great crops of roadside guava during the papaya fruit fly eradication years up here in coastal Far north Queensland.

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1

CJ says...
I would question how much public fruit trees will help the truly impoverished. The most likely place for such a program to work is "the suburbs", and these are not the sort of places that welcome the poor.

rev says...
Hey Roger
you prob know this already but cocos nucefera is native to australia
not only was it present when europeans arrived,
but there are fossil remains of this plant in chinchilla qld dating to 2 million years ago (Digby 1995)
www-public.jcu.edu.au/idc/groups/public/documents/.../jcuprd_048609.pdf

i understand why they arent planted over public walkways
but its a mindnumbing consequence of the second most litigious society on the planet that we are chopping them

i encourage more plantings too
esp dwarf varieties, so i can reach them! im far too european built to shimmy up a trunk lol

Roger says...
Hi rev. Yes you are correct about the Australian native coconuts. Attached are two photos one of a common cultivated nut and the other, more elongated nut, is from descendants of palms growing and fruiting in Australia in pre european times. Big pity the National parks and other ill-informed people have cut so many of these historic palms out.Any way I have a few planted in my collection.

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1	Picture: 2

BJ says...
There are a few street avocados in new farm, near the burger urge. Seems to do okay. A friend who lives just nearby gets a few fruit from it every now and then.

Reba says...
I think the thing that is over looked here, is that the trees featured in the river cottage ep are ESTABLISHED trees, these trees ARE sitting unattended with rotting fruit, if these people were not picking this fruit it would be currently causing some of the harm listed here.

I think before 'planting of new trees' there needs to be an investigation into what is already there! I also saw the feature on River Cottage, and the first thing I thought was i should go LOOKING for the trees in my area, not that i should campaign to get some planted.

Do this first, and you might be surprised as to what is already in your area. for example i saw people picking peaches on my way home from a tree on the road side. This is what they were getting at i think, not planting new trees that could take any number of years to mature and fruit but seeking out what is already available to us and using it, rather than letting it rot on the ground.

snottiegobble says...
In a perfect world it would be a wonderful idea to have fruit trees as street trees, but of course we dont live in a perfect world! There are greedy people, destructive birds & possums, trees that grow too tall to harvest, then the inevitable complaints of squashed & messy fruit making the sidewalks dangerous. We would have to be very selective indeed if it was ever going to work!
I remember orange trees in the streets of Malaga, Spain that were ignored & when I sampled a fruit I found out why, so bitter! Also in England almond street trees that exuded gum from their fruit onto the pavements, parked cars & people!
The only fruit I bring to mind that may be feasable are olives! At least they wont be eaten straight off the tree, Yuckkkkk!

Mmatch says...
I suspect two things: either those orange trees in Malaga were intentionally bitter for a few possible reasons:

1) to be ornamental only, without attracting lower class people ("lazy", expecting free food/fruit, etc.)

2) many cultures love bitter orange for cooking, like lemons, limes, tamarinds [Worcester sauce] or for marinades and sauces, marmalade (never sweet oranges), etc.

3) "Sour Orange" is a common rootstock.
They might have had some upper tree stress (extreme drought one summer or extreme cold one winter) and only the roots survived to re-grow and fruit.

Sadly, you might have to be selective on the olives, too. People in California pay to have their sprayed with hormones each year to PREVENT fruiting and the unwelcome fruit drop that follows.

snottiegobble says...
There are always some miseries that would complain & you know the story, councils act on the minority specially if its in writing!
Yes I believe you are right about the oranges!

Jason says...
If you plant fruit trees in streets you will end up with one person (old scammer) taking all the fruit off all the trees and making jam from them to sell at the markets. This is what already happens with fruit and nut trees along the road side. Plus most fruit trees are not wild trees and wont produce properly or even survive in most places in Australia without lots of additional food and water. Might be ok in Southern QLD and Northern NSW where the soil is abnormally rich and easy to grow stuff in. But I know most of my trees would die within 5 years if I wasn't around

reville Saw says...
@ Jason Im all for the 'scammer' taking all the fruit and making jam. Thats called enterprise. the value of the resulting jam is in the effort to collect it and process it not in the fruit itself.
Also i see wild fruits everywhere i go in Australia. Esp old homesteads and roadsides. Figs, Peaches, Apricots, Plums, Mulberries and even apples and citrus i see frequently volunteering and doing well. If you think your trees will be dead maybe you havent created the habitat they need, like water harvesting and shelter. They are all still wild plants, barely domesticated.

@Mike
Well the species is native in the longer term thats for sure. Perhaps it died out almost completely during cold, dry or fiery periods in an evolutionary ebb, but its certainly flowing back again, recolonizing lost ground.
Theres always plenty of room for fruit growers. Peaches and lychee are just a pain to grow yourself. they can be better by a proffessional. but its stupid to have to buy a lemon, a lime, passionfruit, or a jackfruit. I have a few balinese mangosteen from fruits of exceptional quality..if i was in the we tropics id love to see them planted in a park or public land

reville Saw says...
oops forgot jujube :) i always forget that

and Argan. lovely tree. lovely oil

Henna, not a spice, but a useful ammenity shrub

Julie says...
Welcome back Rev! We've missed you.

BJ says...
Hi Roger,
Do you know where to get Dwarf and Super Dwarf Coconuts from?
Also, how long does a Village Dwarf like that one take to fruit?

John Mc says...
@ reville Saw re Kei Apples:
Can they be eaten out of hand or are they strictly for jams?

BJ says...
Thanks for the reply Roger. I've been considering trying a dwarf since re-reading the article in the Rare Fruit Review. Thinking about the site I have again, it might be better suited for a palm with a bit of ground clearance (as much as I love the growth habit of the Village Dwarf), so a Malay Dwarf would probably be best. I see a few fantastic looking palms on my way to work, 4m high, covered in golden nuts. I eat lots of coconuts, so figured why not take my best shot at growing it myself?

Daley's typically list them quickly (on my off pay week) then by the time I am able to buy one (they are never a cheap plant) they are long gone. There is also one Brisbane nursery that stocks them, but again, its just as hard to get those ones. Come the start of spring I'm going to try the locals once more, and if there's no luck there, I'll send you an email. Thanks.

Jane says...
hi from cool melbourne I'm so glad to have found this blog am researching the potential of bush food trees as street trees and have become truly respectful of your average street tree given they are often surviving in the harshest conditions - and realising that you cant even assume that an indigenous tree will thrive given the potential for compacted/contaminated soil, irregular watering or inundation. I'm coming to the conclusion that rather than engaging in a street tree debate, it might be better to create a front yard foraging movement so that you can see stuff growing that you can share but the maintenance must come back to the grubby & gorgeous domestic gardener.

El. says...
I’ve often thought Mulberry trees in the middle of roundabouts would be rather cute, as well as a source of fruit for both local people and animals. As the children’s song goes: “Round and round the mulberry bush..� If council were willing to allow local organisations like the food bank, or animal welfare stores to harvest during the fruiting season, this extra food source could also be used in the community to help those who are struggling, or in wild life shelters, like the bat hospital.

I’d love to see more edible flowers and ornamentals planted, although it might also coincide with an increase in urban rabbit populations. I’ve seen edible flowering chive and shallot varieties planted publicly here already, and I’m almost certain I saw ornamental cabbage for a while in one public garden…
I’ve seen nasturtiums going wild from people’s gardens, but not seen planted publicly. They are both a pretty ground cover, and a really tasty, healthy and colourful addition to salads. As are crucifix orchids, which can also go nicely in fruit salads as a watermelon substitute if you are short.


There are some native food trees growing in public places in Atherton, but the problem is most locals aren’t aware how to harvest or process them to eat (hands up as one of those locals). Native fig trees are growing by the creek behind Woolies, and there’s a native oak that has blue fruit near the information centre. Apparently the seed can be ground to eat. The ladies there will tell you about it. There’s some interesting fruit growing on a tree in the vacant lot near the Atherton council building. Not sure what it is or if it’s edible, and it’s too high to reach the fruit. Looks like it could be Jack fruit.

If you are talking native fruits trees, there’s actually quite a variety, the fruit of which you’ll almost never see in your local supermarket of fruit and vege store. Growing these in public spaces could help feed local wildlife, and also introduce the community to some of the amazing native foods available. Instead of ghost or grey gums, why not

Lemon myrtle (leaves from trimmed branches can be harvested, dried and ground for spice. Yummy!)

Lady Apples (a sour/sweet variety of lillipilly as large as a small apple, good for jam or to substitute for lemon - tree can grow tall. There is a tree that drops fruit into a public walkway in a back street in Atherton.)
Lillypillies (edible varieties can be white, pink, red, and purple. Flowers can also be pretty)
Finger limes (smaller bushes, how well would they grow?)
Tea trees (not as tall growing, hardy, local birds love the bottle brush flowers, can make a good screen, can harvest leaves and make herbal teas, antiseptic washes)

I wonder how Ooray plum trees would go?

How about japoticaba?

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1	Picture: 2