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Dorchester Sites:
Charles St. Community Garden
The Charles St. Community Garden is located behind the Field’s
Corner apartment complex. The site was planted with a Toka plum
tree, a Stanley prune plum, a Northstar cherry, and several hazels.
As of 2004 the two plums and the hazels are still present at the site, although
one of the plums is diseased and will likely be removed soon.
- Location: Behind apartment buildings right next to Field’s Corner.
- Plants: Toka plum, Stanley Prune plum, a few hazels.
- Accessibility: Accessible.
Hayden School
Neighborhood House Charter School is in the process of acquiring
the site formerly known as the Hayden School, which EarthWorks
planted in 1990. You will find three apples, three
plums, two pears, a peach, an apricot, and a crabapple. As of 2003
gathering fruit at this site is fine,
but once the school opens, please only gather when school is not
in session.
- Location: 9 Queen St.
- Plants: Two Toka plums, a La Crescent plum, two pears, peach, apricot, and a crabapple.
- Accessibility: As of 2003 the site is accessible because the school is mid-sale. This might change when the sale is complete and the building is occupied.
Bowdoin St. Lot
This has been an Earthworks site since 1990. Planted there as
a MacFree apple, a Freedom, a peach, and three filazels. Most
of this site is on land that is currently owned by the city, so
you can easily get at the fruit. One of the apple trees however,
is across the street in front of a private house.
- Location: Near intersection of Bowdoin Ave. and Nottingham.
- Plants: Three filazels, a MacFree apple, a Freedom apple, and a Reliance peach.
- Accessibility: The lot is public, but there is one tree in a private front yard across the street.
Rosseter St. lot
The Rosetter St. lot was first planted in 1991. Now the original
site has been split between the city and a private owner, so the
fruit trees there – two plums, two cherries, a peach and an
apple – are not all publicly accessible. Since there is no
clear line showing who owns what, we don’t encourage people
to collect fruit from this site.
- Location: Near intersection of Rosseter St. and Nottingham.
- Plants: Two plums, two cherries, Seckel pear, a Red Haven peach, and an apple.
- Accessibility: This lot is privately owned by Diego Hernandez except for a couple trees, but there is no clear delineation between the public and private sections.
Eldon St. lot
The orchard at the lot on Eldon St. was planted in 1990. There are currently
two plum trees, three cherry trees, two chestnuts and
three filazels there. The site has been fenced off to prevent illegal dumping.
- Location: On Eldon St. just East of Washington St.
- Plants: Two plums, three cherries, two chestnuts, three filazels.
- Accessibility: Fenced and locked because of dumping.
Russell School and Everett Square
Russell Elementary School is part of EarthWorks' Outdoor
Classrooms Program. The school was originally planted in 1990
and now has four apples trees, two cherry trees, three filazels,
and raspberry bushes. Additionally, Russell School is across from
the Edward Everett Square Historic Orchard, which students sometimes
use for Outdoor Classroom activities. Click
here to read more about Russell School and Everett Square.
- Location: Russell School: 750 Columbia Rd.; Everett Square: Intersection of East Cottage and Columbia Rd.
- Plants: Russell School: Four apples (Ginger Gold, Feather Red, Liberty & Macoun varieties), Two Northstar Pie cherries, nine filazels, and raspberry bushes; Everett Square: Eleven apples (Roxbury Russet, Northern Spy, Ashmead’s Kernel, Pumpkin Sweet, Black Oxford, Baldwin, Green Sweet, Calville Blanc d’Hiver, and Winter White Pearmain varieties), two cherries (Montgomery & Morello), nine pears (Seckel, Dana Hovey, Bartlett, Rose, Clapp’s Favorite, Tyson), two apricots (Blenheim & Moorpark), two George VI peaches, and two plums (Mirabelle & Green Gage).
- Accessibility: Everett Square is completely open, but only gather the fruit or nuts at Russell School when school is not in session.
Nonquit St. Green & Community Garden
The Nonquit St. Green is a small park containing trees donated by
various agencies and groups. EarthWorks’ contributed a Chinese-America
chestnut hybrid and two tree-hazels in 1993, as well as planting
several more young tree-hazels in the Nonquit St. community garden.
The hazels in the garden are not accessible both because the garden
is locked.
- Location: Nonquit St. off of Dudley St.
- Plants: Green – two tree hazels, and a crossed chestnut. Community garden – fifteen hazels.
- Accessibility: Green is open to public, but community garden is kept locked.
Winthrop Elementary School
Winthrop Elementary was an EarthWorks’ Outdoor
Classrooms Program site and probably will be again in a year
or two. In 1995 children helped plant two juneberry bushes and three
hazelnuts in the yard next to the school. Since then Winthrop has
continued planting trees, recently putting in two apple trees, two
pear trees, and a peach tree.
- Location: 35 Brookford St.
- Plants: Three juneberries, and three hazels.
- Accessibility: Only harvest when school is not in session.
John P. Holland Elementary School
John P. Holland Elementary School is one of EarthWorks’ current
Outdoor Classrooms Program sites. In 1999 students helped EarthWorks plant four plum trees,
six hazelnuts, five cherry trees, two apricot trees, a pear tree,
two quince trees, three grape vines, serviceberries, currants, raspberries,
and wineberries. The students now care for these plants as part
of the Outdoor Classrooms curriculum.
- Location: 85 Olney St.
- Plants: Three Red Haven peaches, four plums (American, Waneta, and Purple Heart), two serviceberries, three Concord grapes, six hazels, two currants, five cherries (Northstar Pie, Bali-pie, Nan-king), two apricots, a Seckel pear, raspberries, and wineberries.
- Accessibility: As with all school sites, only gather when school is not in session.
Mt. Calvary Church
The Mt. Calvary Church is the home of two grape vines (Concord and
Van Buren), a French prune plum, a peach, and a pear. The site was
planted by EarthWorks in 1995. The gates at the church are locked,
so please ask permission before attempting to gather fruit there.
- Location: 9-15 Otisfield St.
- Plants: Two grapes (Concord & Van Buren), five hazels, a French Prune plum, a Seckel pear, and a Red Haven peach.
- Accessibility: Locked.
Marshall Elementary School
This site was once part of EarthWorks’ Outdoor
Classrooms Program. The yard in the center of the school is
not accessible to the public. In 1996 students helped plant two
apples, a cherry, a juneberry bush, and grape vine. The yard also
boasts six pre-existing crabapples.
- Location: 35 Westville Street
- Plants: Two apples (Liberty & Mission Hill Striped), 2 Northstar cherries, grape, juneberry, and six crabapples that existed prior to the additional plantings.
- Accessibility: Harvest fruit only when school is not in session.
Franklin Hill Development
The housing development at Franklin Hill was planted by EarthWorks
in 1996 with a four apples. The trees are right along the American
Legion Highway and are easily available to anyone who wants to
pick a few apples.
- Location: American Legion Highway and Franklin Hill Ave.
- Plants: Four apples (Liberty, Mission Hill, Black Oxford, and Cortland varieties).
- Accessibility: In a housing development, but trees are along the American Legion Highway.
Everett Elementary School
Once a site for EarthWorks’ Outdoor
Classrooms Program, Everett Elementary School has been undergoing
construction, so only one cherry tree remains of what was planted
in 1997. This site will probably once again become an Outdoor Classroom
in the future.
- Location: 71 Pleasant St.
- Plants: One Northstar Pie cherry.
- Accessibility: As with all school sites, please only collect fruit when school is not in session.
Franklin Field Housing Development
EarthWorks planted eight currant bushes, three young plum trees,
and an assortment of small herbaceous plants in a garden at Franklin
Field Housing Development in 2001. The plants are still very young,
but when they mature their fruit will be available and accessible
to all.
- Location: Westview St. at Ames St.
- Plants: Eight Gold currants, four Beach plums, three rosa rugosa, and edible honeysuckle.
- Accessibility: In a housing development, but plants are accessible.
