Urban Orchards

St. Louis is a city primed for urban orchards. In our city we could have apples, peaches, pears and other fruit trees growing. Our kids don't always have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. The boomer generation knew to grow fruit trees, but after them came gen X who had other distractions, and Y who is so far away from this type of thinking it is silly. Gen Z might think it fun, interesting and retro to get involved in urban orchards. Perhaps the Y gen will pick up on it. Gen X is older and wiser now and probably would take to it.

The city has a lot of vacant land that they could use for urban orchards. (If people like Paul McKee are reigned in from wasting our land and buildings). If there is an orchard of apple trees, it could be seen as a public asset. In Jamaica they do this with mangos. Anyone can come pick mangos for their own consumption. It doesn't have to be perfect. If our kids are eating more fruits and vegetables, it's a win. If people who have little to nothing at least get some fresh fruit that they can pick themselves any time they want, it would help with public health. There are a lot of positives, and very few, if any, negatives.