Fruit Works tree planting in Armley: New trees for Leeds

National World - LocalTV

Did you know that Leeds has the most fruit orchards in the UK outside of London? We met Fruit Works at a tree-planting session on Hill Top Moor in Armley to discover how they’re supporting communities to plant and maintain fruit trees.

Transcript

00:00Hi, my name's Ginny and I'm one of the four worker members of Fruitworks Co-operative.

00:06We're a small social enterprise based in Leeds that grows fruit trees and plants fruit trees

00:13and helps more people grow their own fruit.

00:16We're here as part of the Coronation Living Heritage Scheme.

00:20So it's a scheme to plant more small woodlands and more orchards across the country.

00:25So we were lucky to get some funding to plant seven community orchards across Leeds.

00:30So we're working with seven different community groups this year to establish those orchards.

00:35So today we're at Armley Hill Top Moor planting one of those seven orchards and the people

00:42have come out in full force to plant that orchard today and the weather is amazing.

00:49Leeds is set to receive 100 fruit orchards which is the first city outside London to

00:55do so.

00:57This is one of seven sites of planting to be done in the city.

01:03This winter our ambition is to plant five million trees over 25 years and fruit trees

01:09I think bring a particular interest to local communities as well as planting trees and

01:15looking after them but you're actually having trees to grow fruit as well and so there's

01:21actually an added benefit to have fruit orchards or fruit trees.

01:24The first few years we want to focus on channeling the trees energy into growth so we want them

01:30to grow strong roots and big strong branches and then after year four or five they should

01:36hopefully be established enough to start producing good crops and we've got a good mixture of

01:41apples, pears, plums, cherries here.

01:45The community group that is responsible for caring for this land is going to take on the

01:50ongoing maintenance of the orchard so that's going to involve weeding, mulching, watering,

01:56pruning and then eventually harvesting the fruit.

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