Starting a Tree Nursery: What you Need to Know

1. Richard Hodges, ReTreeUS Program Manager

2. ReTreeUS is dedicated to promoting an
environmentally sustainable, socially just food
system through education, practical resources, and
mentorship. We plant orchards in schools and
provide educational programs that empower people
to be healthy environmental stewards.

3. • Educational orchards in public schools
• Partnership orchards with other nonprofits
• School garden support

4. 80 Educational Orchards!

5. Programming
• Orchard Caretakers
• Pruning workshops
• Grafting Workshops
• Maintenance and
orchard development
• Curricular support
• Educational signage
• Orchard Mapping and
analyzing

9. Benefits of School
Orchards:
• Learning opportunities!
• Experiential learning
• Outdoor classroom
• Fresh fruit!
• Inspiration
• New opportunities
• Stewardship
• Connectivity
• Career paths
• Beautification

10. Potential
Challenges:
• Pests!
• Lack of investment
• Lack of time…
• Lack of experience caring
for fruit trees

11. -Examples from Orchard
Caretaker Newsletters-

15. -Resources for Orchard Caretakers-

16. Considerations for planting a new orchard
• Sun (Fruit trees need full sun in order to produce good fruit)
• Soil
• (dig a pilot hole, is it all rocks and fill?)
• Soil tests are available at University Extension offices,
they provide great learning opportunities
• Does your site have good drainage? If you dig a hole and
water collects in the bottom that is no good
• Water (Is there access to a hose?) Young fruit trees require
consistent watering and it needs to be easy for whoever is
responsible for watering.

17. Bare-root vs. potted trees
Learn More about how to plant trees:
https://www.arborday.org/trees/planting/
Bare-Root challenges
• Must be kept dormant until
planting
• Tend to start smaller (but
oftentimes will catch up)
• Requires diligent watering first
years and precise planting
Bare-root benefits
• Less expensive
• Not root bound
• Easy to transport
Potted tree benefits
• Tend to be larger at time of planting
• More flexible planting window
• The soil established roots in the soil provide
a buffer
• Ideal for fall planting
Potted tree challenges
• More expensive
• Can be root bound
• Leaves may have been sprayed with
pesticides, may contain pests and/or
disease

18. School Orchards =
Outdoor Classrooms retreeus.org
agclassroom.org