New community orchard, garden project in the works
The Cedar City Community Orchard and Garden Project is the brainchild of Cedar City resident Brian Tremelling and his family. They were recently brainstorming ideas of ways to give back to the community, specifically the Iron County Care and Share, and the idea of a community orchard that would produce fresh fruit for the Care and Share to use was born, Tremelling said.
“By just planting a few trees and then keeping up on maintenance, an orchard provides a resource for the community for decades,” Tremelling said.
He is hoping to be able to plant apple, pear, peach, apricot, nectarine, nut and cherry trees at the orchard.
“It’s amazing what the Care and Share is doing for the community, especially in this economy,” Tremelling said.
The orchard is just a way of showing support for the Care and Share and other organizations that work to end hunger in the area.
Candace Schaible of the USU Extension Office suggested the orchard be expanded to include a community garden, similar to that at the SUU farm, where residents could reserve a garden bed for a small fee that would then be used to pay for maintenance and upkeep.
Tremelling is currently working with Cedar City to obtain land and water use for the orchard. He said they hope to have three to four acres near some of the city’s walking paths.
The project is in the process of seeking RAP (recreation, arts and parks) tax money for funding, and Tremelling said that funding is preliminary to gaining approval for land from the city.
Once the project has a place to begin, Tremelling said they hope to have fencing and irrigation in before the snow falls so planting can begin in the spring. It is planned that there will be 80 to 100 raised grow boxes, but they will probably be built in phases, he said.
Several groups from the community have expressed interest in helping with the project, Tremelling said, including the USU Extension Office, the Cedar Area Interfaith Alliance, SUU, the Cedar City Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Farmers Market and Martel Farm – a farm in Utah County.
Anyone interested in helping with the Cedar City Community Orchard and Garden Project should first visit their Facebook page and “like” them, Tremelling said. Having a lot of Facebook followers may help get RAP tax money, he said.
Also, anyone interested in helping to raise funds, plant or plan the orchard and garden can contact Tremelling at cedarcityorchard@gmail.com and for more information can visit www.cedarcityorchard.blogspot.com.
Read more: Cedar City News - New community orchard garden project in the works
