The Backyard Fruit Growers, a project of the Berea Urban Farm, provides fruit trees and berry bushes along with education and training on planting and care to Berea households. Since its inception in 2015, this project has distributed hundreds of trees, shrubs and pollinator-friendly perennial flowers at no- or low-cost with the goal of enhancing local food security and community health and nutrition.

 

For the next installment of the Backyard Fruit Growers, the BUF is partnering with Peaceful Heritage Nursery, Stanford KY, to provide Berea households with high-quality fruit trees, berry bushes, and cane fruits for planting in Spring 2025.

 

The project will provide approved households with up to $100 of selected fruit trees, berry bushes, and cane fruits from Peaceful Heritage. This year we have limited choices to Peaceful Heritage’s top 10 fruit plant species for Berea’s conditions: Asian Pears, Blackberries, Red and Black Raspberry, Honeyberry, Mulberry, Pawpaw, Gooseberry, Currants, Aronia. Information on specific varieties will be provided.

 

The initial sign-up opportunity for the 2025 Backyard Fruit Growers project is:

 

October 21, 6:30pm, Madison Co. Library, 319 Chestnut St, Berea, Kentucky

 

This will be followed by an educational presentation in November on growing the top 10 species.

 

To receive project updates, send an email to info@sustainableberea.org and put “Backyard Fruit Growers” in the subject line.

 

Thanks for helping to make Berea more food secure, healthy and beautiful.