Philadelphia Orchard Project

Philadelphia Orchard Project Mission. The Philadelphia Orchard Project plants and supports community orchards in the city of Philadelphia.

POP partners with a wide variety of community groups, providing them with an orchard design, plant sourcing, planting supervision, and training in orchard care. Our community partners own, maintain, harvest, and distribute the orchard produce within their neighborhoods, thus expanding community control over their food resources. POP currently supports 67 community orchards and has planted 1,578 fruit trees over the last 15 years!

Here’s a peak at the early days of Fall at PLOW! We’re w**ding, we’re harvesting, we’re prepping for winter…Pic 1: Caro ...
09/26/2025

Here’s a peak at the early days of Fall at PLOW! We’re w**ding, we’re harvesting, we’re prepping for winter…

Pic 1: Caro smiling in the orchard with bayberry wax candles they made from our bayberry shrub!

Pic 2: Sunset at the orchard

Pic 3: A volunteer planting garlic as an alley crop between two rows of trees.

Pic 4: Phil’s hand (plus a peek of his boot) lifting up a caper bloom in our high tunnel

Pic 5: Fig leaves blowing in the wind & Corrie emerging from within a voluminous patch of fig trees

Pic 6: Sharon admiring the fruits of our labor- an eggplant and an equally large pawpaw.

Pic 7: Deja and Corrie using pole pickers to harvest our pears, peeking at the camera hidden inside a tree.

Last Saturday September 20 marked the 16th annual Apple Fest held in East Fairmount Park with our friends from and whi...
09/25/2025

Last Saturday September 20 marked the 16th annual Apple Fest held in East Fairmount Park with our friends from and while we didn’t get pictures of all the amazing activities that took place, we wanted to share a few! Missing from the photo archive was a DIY apple cider vinegar making workshop with (using the apple scraps from POP’s cider press!); pawpaw seed saving with ; and a yard tree giveaway with , with pawpaws grown in POP’s nursery!

1. POP Lead Orchard Volunteers Chioma and Gwen prep apples for the press
2. A volunteer helps turn the cider press
3. Fresh cider collects in a metal bowl
4. Apples get chopped before going through the mill
5. State Rep Roni Green () and her granddaughter help crush apples in the mill
6. A line-up of brightly painted mini pumpkins sitting in the sun to dry
7. POP co-directors Kim (left) and Phil (right) smile along with POP orchard educator Alkebu-Lan, as they stand under a mature chestnut tree, now cared for by FAFF, that was originally planted by POP around 2011

While fall is a time for abundant harvests, new season celebrations and plantings, pruning your fruit trees may need to ...
09/17/2025

While fall is a time for abundant harvests, new season celebrations and plantings, pruning your fruit trees may need to be on the checklist too!

Winter remains the primary time to prune trees since they’re in their dormant state however certain conditions, such as diseased, damaged or dead wood or weather causing a tree’s limbs to endanger a structure may call for emergency pruning no matter what time of the year.

Diseases such as fireblight, black knot or cankers may continue to spread and cause further damage to the tree if not removed as soon as possible. Dead or damaged wood may provide future entryways for pests and disease to enter and spread.

When emergency pruning fireblight:
Emergency prune out all infected wood to prevent spread, at least 8-12” below any signs of the disease. Infected trees will have canker on tree bark that look dead or decayed, weeping wounds, burnt-looking wood and leaves, and/or curled branch tips also known as a “shepherd’s crook.” Sterilize tools with 70% rubbing alcohol between each cut to limit the spread of the disease.

When emergency pruning black knot or cankers:
Remove all knots and swellings by pruning 3-4 inches below the knot, down to healthy wood. Sterilize tools with 70% rubbing alcohol between each cut to limit the spread of the fungal disease.

Remember the following:

Sterilize your tools!
Sanitize between every cut for disease prone trees during the growing season. For easy disinfecting, we recommend carrying a spray bottle with you of rubbing (isopropyl 70%) alcohol or a bleach solution (1 part bleach: 10 parts water) to wipe down tools.

Keep all pruning tools rust-free and as sharp as possible! If they are dull, they will not cut cleanly and will leave a tree more susceptible to disease.

Too much pruning can result in unhealthy growth. Pruning after mid summer can also result in new growth that doesn’t have time to harden off before winter, so avoid all but emergency pruning between AUG and DEC

Image 1:
Dark and shriveled leaves and fruitlets in the middle of an asian pear tree with green and healthy fruitlets surrounding it

Image 2: black knot on a tree branch

Join us THIS Saturday at The Learning Orchard with ✨ We’ll be mixing up something sweet!🍇 RSVP Required! bit.ly/Figandg...
09/16/2025

Join us THIS Saturday at The Learning Orchard with ✨ We’ll be mixing up something sweet!🍇

RSVP Required!
bit.ly/Figandgrape

Hey yall, Deja here, POP’s Community Outreach Coordinator! At the end of August, I had the pleasure of attending first ...
09/11/2025

Hey yall, Deja here, POP’s Community Outreach Coordinator!

At the end of August, I had the pleasure of attending first Farm 2 Table Immersion, where I gathered with 16 other food and land lovers from around the country. We were immersed in both the practical and spiritual elements of cheffing on a farm. We learned how to make kimchi, got a little canning 101 session in preserving the harvest, put our heads together around menu planning and managing a kitchen, we squealed talking about the magic of mushrooms, and were reminded of the sacredness of all lives in transitioning and processing chickens.

Throughout the week, we gathered to talk about our own ancestral food stories and even had the treat of some folks bringing them to the table. We ate a solid 3 meals every day, prepared by each of our hands. Built altars together, reflected on how far we’ve come, and all the beautiful things we want to do and continue doing once we left.

Sometimes there are not enough words to encapsulate a feeling, but what I will say is that there was some divine orchestration in bringing all of us together that week. A week filled with timber-framed beauty, cured sumac, smoked tempeh, towering sunflowers, the most delicious ground cherry shrub, farm pets who rightfully demanded loving attention, sound baths, reverence, tears, and the most brilliant and beautiful minds.

Thank you to Soul Fire staff and our lovely facilitators for bringing this to life and bringing all of us together 💛

WOODFORD APPLE & PAWPAW FESTIVALSaturday 9/20 (rain date Sunday 9/21)At Woodford Mansion in East Fairmount Park2300 Nort...
09/10/2025

WOODFORD APPLE & PAWPAW FESTIVAL
Saturday 9/20 (rain date Sunday 9/21)

At Woodford Mansion
in East Fairmount Park
2300 North 33rd St

Apple Festival: 11 am – 2 pm

Pawpaw Palooza: 12 – 4 pm

Join POP, Woodford Mansion, and Fair Amount Food Forest for the 16th Annual Community Apple Festival (now featuring Pawpaws as well!).

Activities will include:

fresh cider making
apple & pawpaw tasting
pawpaw ice cream
pumpkin painting
cider vinegar workshop
lawn games and light snacks
tours of the Woodford Mansion, gardens and orchard, and the neighboring food forest

This kid-friendly event is free and open to the public.

🌳 The Philadelphia Orchard Project is Hiring a new Executive Director!Since 2007, POP has grown from a grassroots initia...
09/08/2025

🌳 The Philadelphia Orchard Project is Hiring a new Executive Director!

Since 2007, POP has grown from a grassroots initiative into a citywide leader in food justice — now supporting 70 community-owned orchards across Philadelphia. As we continue to grow, we’re evolving our leadership model from Co-Executive Directors to a single Executive Director, who will work alongside a dedicated team.

Learn more about this next phase of growth from POP’s Co-Executive Directors Phil Forsyth and Kim Jordan: https://www.phillyorchards.org/2025/09/08/pop-launches-search-for-new-executive-director

Go Phigs! The city is bursting with fig bounty right now. Today POP staff and volunteers harvested another 25 pounds o...
09/05/2025

Go Phigs! The city is bursting with fig bounty right now. Today POP staff and volunteers harvested another 25 pounds of figs at the POP Learning Orchard at The Woodlands to distribute to community via Food Not Bombs. This brings our total this season to 217 pounds of figs, over 40 pounds per tree with another month of harvests to go!

For best fig harvesting, choose fruit that is beginning to soften and droop on its stem. Color isn’t always the best indicator, so feel each fig before picking! Grab by the stem and wiggle to avoid damaging the fruit. Store on the counter or fridge until they are fully soft for maximal flavor and sweetness!

A few of our favorite fig varieties:

1. Bounty from the POP Learning Orchard for donation to

2. ‘Florea’ (also known as ‘Michurinska‘) is one of the hardiest and most reliable and tasty figs, originating in Bulgaria and Romania.

3. ‘Sal’s Corleone’ are very large and prolific figs, by far the best producer by weight in the orchard.

4. ‘Ronde de Bordeaux’ is hardy, early ripening and the tree stays slightly smaller than other figs.

5. ‘Larchwood’ is a variety named and propagated by POP from a tree of unknown origin in West Philly. We love the taste of this fig better than any other, with a flavor like strawberry jam!

At the end of summer, we’re often scrambling to catch up on our w**ding. POP created a brand new resource on Orchard W**...
08/26/2025

At the end of summer, we’re often scrambling to catch up on our w**ding. POP created a brand new resource on Orchard W**d Management to better support our partners and Lead Orchard Volunteers in this important task! It includes suggested resources for w**d identification; recommended w**ding tools; and and overview of management techniques including hand removal, sheetmulching, groundcovers, and chop and drop. We have also now uploaded our POP W**d Identification Guide to be fully accessible on our website as well. Check out both resources on the linktree in our bio!

“W**ds” are simply plants that are growing in places where we don’t want them.

1. POP’s w**d guide examines the characteristics of dozens of the most common city “w**ds”.

2. Mugwort, maybe the most common w**d in the city!

3. Violets are a w**d we often leave in our orchard and food forests, as they are both edible and don’t compete much with most orchard plants. Although you might still remove them from your strawberry patch!

4. Pigw**d or Amaranth is another common plant that we leave or remove depending on context. It is a delicious vegetable but can grow tall and compete with other desired plants!

5. Burdock is common throughout the city and is a strong soil builder with edible roots. However, it grows fast and big and thus often removed from orchard settings!

6. Knotw**d is one of the most challenging plants in the city, as it spreads aggressively through runners and well as having deep roots that make it very hard to eliminate. It can take over acres of untended land. However, its spring shoots are a delicious substitute for rhubarb, so eat it as you remove it from your orchard space!

7. Japanese Hops are one of the most aggressive vining plants in the city, sometimes growing several feet in a single day. They quickly grow over and compete with other plants, so they are always a good candidate for removal!

Orchard Irrigation Best Practices: 1. Water entire root zone, from trunk to drip line, and then some. Watering beyond dr...
08/22/2025

Orchard Irrigation Best Practices:
1. Water entire root zone, from trunk to drip line, and then some. Watering beyond drip line encourages root growth.
2. Use a 5 gallon buckets with a few holes drilled into bottom or very low on sides. Place around drip line. Fill with water. Once emptied, move and repeat. 3. Turn hose down low and leave on for 1-2 hours. Move every 20 minutes until entire area underneath canopy is soaked. In Philadelphia’s generally humid, wet climate, we have long advised that you don’t need to water mature orchard trees unless there is drought. But extreme weather conditions have become our norm. Rainfall has become less predictable, heat more intense, and drought more of the rule than the exception. Make a plan of how you’ll approach orchard irrigation when needed!

Fall can be a time of drought in our region. Last September we had less than 1” of rain for the month and last October we had only trace amounts.

The best way to tell if you need to water your orchard is by feeling the soil! Check soil moisture by digging to the depth of roots and feeling the soil. Fruit tree roots are mostly 8-14”. Water when soil moisture is at 50-60%.

For loam → Clay soils
0-25% Crumbly, powdery, cracked. No ribboning. No to slight stain on fingers. 25-50% May form ball or ribbon, but crumbly/falls apart. No to slight stain on hand
50-75% Soil color darker. Forms ball and ribbons easily. Stain hand.
75 -100% Soil color is dark. Appears and feels moist. May be sticky. Forms ball and ribbons easily. Slick feel when squeezed. Stains hands.

For our full recommendations on orchard irrigation please check out our new resource on Orchard Irrigation. Resource linked in bio.

While fruit bagging, covering individual fruits for protection, in late May and early June after thinning fruitlets has ...
08/08/2025

While fruit bagging, covering individual fruits for protection, in late May and early June after thinning fruitlets has often been a go-to method of mechanical integrated pest and disease management (IPM for short) used across POP orchards in previous seasons, it can often be a tedious and time consuming task with low rewards on larger orchards with many trees.

This year, one of the ways POP staff wanted to experiment was to try out tree netting at the POP Learning Orchard, specifically over one of the pear trees, to observe if it made a difference in reducing squirrel predation. Last season, Asian pear crop loss at the Learning Orchard was unprecedented, with squirrels acquiring most of the fruit before they were even ripe and going so far as to eating many of the unripe persimmons nearby as well!

A large net was applied over the “Chojuro” Asian Pear (one of the most coveted varieties by our squirrel-friends) in mid-June. Orchard Educator, Alkebu-Lan Marcus applied clamps to old pole saws as a tool to get the net over the tree and hold the net upright in place. Heavy rocks were then placed around the base of the tree to keep them in place.

It’s currently too soon to tell how the whole tree netting is working vs the fruit bagging that is still being used vs trees where no protection has been used, but we are excited at what findings the quickly approaching harvest season will provide. Stay tuned…

[Image Descriptions]

1. Phil and Alkebu-Lan each hilding one tall red pole saw with a clamp attached. The clamp is attached to a long white net

2. A video of Alkebu-Lan and Phil using the pole saws to drape the long white netting over the tree

3. The Asian pear tree covered by the white tree net

4. An Asian pear covered in a beige, nylon fruit covering

5. Light green Asian pear trees without any netting or fruit bagging cover

4.

2.

In July, Corrie, Alkebu-Lan, and Phil got to represent POP at the Giving Grove conference in Seattle. is a non-profit t...
08/08/2025

In July, Corrie, Alkebu-Lan, and Phil got to represent POP at the Giving Grove conference in Seattle. is a non-profit that supports urban orchard organizations across the country. The POP team got to meet and compare notes with affiliate organizations from 16 cities!

With local affiliate , we got to tour 5 community orchards and food forests across the city. We also learned more about fertilizing with plant juice extracts, netting trees, and tasted some new fruits, and all came home with new inspiration and renewed pride in POP’s work in Philadelphia!

1. POP team at the Beacon Food Forest.

2. Sign reminding all to ‘Leave Some for Others’.

3. Himalayan Chocolateberry, a new fruit for the POP team!

4. Beautiful tiled sign about understory plantings.

5. Conference goers amongst the abundant garden beds at Bradner Gardens.

6. Sign explaining the food forest bio swale at Paradise Lots.

7. Trees netted for insect control at Good Shepherd garden.

8. Salmon run at the Ballard Locks fish ladder.

Address

4000 Woodland Avenue
Philadelphia, PA
19104

Telephone

+12157241247

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Plant the Future with POP!

POP partners with a wide variety of community groups, providing them with an orchard design, plant sourcing, planting supervision, and training in orchard care. Our community partners own, maintain, harvest, and distribute the orchard produce within their neighborhoods, thus expanding community control of food resources. POP currently supports 62 community orchards in neighborhoods across the city and has planted 1,258 fruit trees over the last 11 years!