Today Joe is spreading the word about Mt. Joy Orchard, a free to pick public orchard providing a creative social space while demonstrating the use of agricultural practices that promote pollinator habitat, biodiversity and the preservation of Maine's agricultural heritage. Mt. Joy Orchard is the largest food forest in the city of Portland with the mission to increase food
access, resiliency of our community, increase ecologically managed spaces and provide opportunity for education. There are over one hundred fruit trees nestled into the hillside between Washington Ave and the East End Community School that have been planted and maintained by community volunteers in conjunction with the city arborist. The trees are surrounded by extensive sheet mulched beds, full of beneficial companion plants.
Anyone is free to walk through Mt. Joy at anytime and care for the plants -- this includes sustainable harvesting of fruits and herbs, and taking divisions of edible and native plants.
The orchard is entering its sixth season, and has been maintained and grown through more than thirty evening work-parties and three large permablitzes (permaculture-style work parties).
The good folks at Mt. Joy invite you to the inaugural ‘Public Orchard Day’ and kick off the 2019 work party season with an all day work party, permablitz style, on May 11, from 11am-3pm. Joe is sure the event will be a great success, and urges you to learn more about Mt. Joy here.
