Anti-Ivy League and Edible Neighborhood

To REQUEST SERVICE from one of our programs, follow the pertaining link below and complete the form:

Edible Neighborhood Program - Sign Up For Service

Anti-Ivy League Program - Sign Up For Service

This season, all properties within Oakland City, Bush Mountain, Chosewood Park, Edgewood, and Kirkwood are valid for participation.

This program operates on a pay-what-you-can ($0+) pricing model. Anyone can participate in this program regardless of your budget. Donations are what make these two programs available to families and individuals of all income.

    Program Details

    Edible Neighborhood

    Dream of an Edible Neighborhood. A place where fruit grows along the sidewalks and front yards. A place where an underlying goal in the community is to share their harvest and address food insecurity. Founded in Chosewood Park c. 2013 this venture has planted close to 500 fruit plants in Atlanta.

    When you join Edible Neighborhood, a fruit tree from our shortlist will be planted in your yard. We will provide annual maintenance as well. After you have collected your fruit bounty, the leftovers will provide fresh, chemical-free, and affordable fruit to local food initiatives that provide equitable access to food. See below for a view of the plants we have installed historically.

     

    Requirements for Service:

    • Site must be located in Oakland City, Bush Mountain, Chosewood Park, Edgewood, or Kirkwood.
    • Site must receive at least 4 hours of direct sunlight per day
    • Site must either be accessible to the community - along the street or in front-yard
    • We will place a sign/marker at each tree, so the public can identify and read about the program
    • You must allow us to access the tree for maintenance and harvesting
    • If you move away, you must tell the next resident that the tree is a part of our program 

    Resident Responsibility for Service:

    • Must be diligent with watering the tree 1X per week – 30 seconds with a hose or one 5 gallon bucket 
    • Must maintain the berm of the tree and keep it free from ivy and other climbing plants. (the berm is the circular mound of dirt surrounding the trunk that holds water)

    What kind of trees can I get?

    • Species available: fig, apple, pear, plum, loquat, pawpaw, elderberry
    • Trees are 4-7’ tall when planted
    • They take approximately 2-3 years to bear fruit

      Why should I participate?

      • When you purchase a fruit tree for this program, you are contributing directly back to your community, helping us create a more resilient and equitable local food system.
      • You can pick fruit from the tree and we will harvest the remainder
      • You will have access to other fruit in the neighborhood-wide orchard
      • We take care of the yearly maintenance: mulching, pruning, and fertilizing
      • Community Foodscapes has a record of success with trees they’ve planted having a survivorship rate between 95-100%

      How will the produce be distributed? 

      • Excess fruit beyond what you can consume will be collected and contributed to equitable food distribution initiatives that serve Atlanta communities. Currently, Unearthing Farm and Market and Concrete Jungle are partnered with the program.
      • Unearthing Farm and Market operate under a pay-it-forward pay structure. An affordable price, comparable to Walmart, will be set for the excess fruit, and community members who can afford to pay extra will be encouraged to pay-it-forward to cover the cost of fruit for community members who may not be able to afford the asking price. 

      Anti-Ivy League

      English Ivy, Hedera helix, is an opportunistic plant species native to Eurasia. Over the decades after it’s introduction, it has taken a firm grip on much of the forests in Atlanta. But, why exactly is it good practice to remove them from your trees?

      Climbing vines and ivy use a tree’s established stem structure to reach high into the surrounding forest canopy. Over time, this can diminish the tree’s health and structural integrity, expediting the tree falling or being taken down.

      Although we are a food-based company, we also strive to protect Atlanta's beautiful forests which provide limitless value to the city. The service we are offering is donation-based, so you can pay what you can afford. The market rate for ivy removal hovers around $50/tree, but depends on the size and quantity of ivy vines.

      This offer includes the removal of English ivy from the 3 largest trees on your property. If you would like more than three trees cut we can provide a market rate quote at our initial visit. We cut the vines from chest-height to ground-level which causes the vines in the canopy to slowly die from lack of water and nutrients.

       

      Anti-Ivy League Heat Map 

      This heat map shows our hotspots of Anti-Ivy League service. Currently, the 5 neighborhoods of Edgewood, Kirkwood, Chosewood Park, Bush Mountain, and Oakland City have been chosen as our priority areas. We have years of servitude in these communities and are centralizing our efforts until we have the capabilities to expand our reach even more.