Seattle's newest seven-acre park in the city's Beacon Hill neighborhood will be filled with edible plants—walnut and chestnut trees, apple and pear trees, blueberry bushes, even more exotic fruits like pineapple and persimmons—and everything will be available for public plucking! How amazing is that?
Margarett Harrison, lead landscape architect for the Beacon Food Forest project, tells TakePart that this idea of Food Forest is "totally innovative, and has never been done before in a public park." It's the new frontier in urban agriculture, and organizers hope the park is perennial and self-sustaining, "like a forest is in the wild."
Read More: It's Not a Fairytale: Seattle to Build Nation's First Food Forest | TakePart
Related: Free Veg in Public Garden Plots!
(Image: Leela Cyd Ross)
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Wow, wow, wow. It's an idea whose time has come. If every place did this (think anti-lawn movement) we could take a huge step towards mitigating climate change. Terrific.
I cannot put into words how positive this article makes me feel. It seems there really are forward thinking people in this world willing to help others. Let's all keep it up, and just so you know, my dead and unwatered front lawn is slowly becoming a fruit and vegetable garden and I've never been happier with it.
When I was growing up in Lebanon in the 60s, mountain roads were planted with fruiting trees instead of ornamental trees. The trees included cherry, apple and nut trees. They were for everyone to enjoy. Even though the project was not maintained through the years, could still find some of these trees to this days.
What a great idea! My only concern is that they have to have a way to deal with foolish people who might climb in the trees for the fruit. They also probably need the park rangers or specific volunteers to pick the fruit that is high, and have it in baskets for people to take a few pieces from. All things that have to be worked out, but a great idea.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(a squeal of joy from a Seattle resident)
Seattle Rocks!
It sounds amazing in theory but...I could eat 7 acres of blueberries myself.
Ah, the Promised Land...
This is an amazing idea!
growing up in the Seattle area I always found much more produce free for the picking than any other place I have lived. Blackberries, apples, etc. We had a deep backyard and could easily grow most things we wanted-not the case across the diverse US.
I think this is a great idea as a test though and hope it goes far beyond one plot.
I am curious to see how it will be curated so people do not pick everything clean. In Homestead, FL there is the Fruit and Spice Park that is open to the public where you can eat any of the fruit there with the caveat that it has to have already fallen from the tree.
Isn't there something like this in Asheville?