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Roxbury Sites:

McLaughlin Playground Historic Orchard and Urban Wild
In 1992, EarthWorks Projects planted a small nut tree orchard and then in 1998-99 planted over 50 apple, pear, plum, apricot, persimmon, hazelnut, chestnut and juneberry trees. Of these, 30 are varieties of apple and pear that were grown in Boston in the 1700’s or early 1800’s. Many of the older apple trees along Fisher Ave. and in the undeveloped areas between teh two baseball fields are probably descendents of the Parker family’s original trees. Click here to read more about the McLaughlin playground historic orchard.

Location: Fisher Ave. between Bucknam St. and Parker St.

Plants: Many apples, pears, cherries, plums, raspberries, mulberries, currants, hazelnuts, and chestnuts. For variety information, click here (link to varieties_mclaughlin.html).

Accessibility: Plants are all accessible, but some areas are overgrown or have poison ivy.

Roxbury Boys and Girls Club
In 1992 Earthworks planted a plum tree and an apple tree for the Roxbury Boys and Girls Club. In 1995 an additional plum was added to cross-pollinate with the first plum.

Location: 115 Warren St.

Plants: Toka plum, American plum, and Red Astrachan apple.

Accessibility: The trees are fenced in, and the Boys and Girls Club does not encourage the public to pick the fruit. Please do not harvest without permission.

Warren Gardens Housing Cooperative
Most plantings in the orchard near the intersection of Warren St. and Circuit St. were planted in 2000 with the help of volunteer groups and Warren Gardens residents. The orchard plantings include pears, cherries, currants, apples, and hazels. In addition there are juneberries, kiwis, and grape vines. A few of the plants are in a fenced enclosure, but most are growing on the slope between the apartments and the community garden. Click here to read more about Warren Gardens Housing Development.

Location: Warren St. at Circuit St.

Plants: Many pears, Northstar cherries, and currants. A few apples, hazels, juneberries, kiwis, and grapes (Concord & Edelweiss).

Accessibility: All plants are on a publicly accessible bank; a few vines, etc. are in an enclosed garden.

Cedar St. lot
EarthWorks worked with neighbors and garden coordinator Francis Powell to plant six apple trees, several hazelnuts, a Seckel pear, a cherry in 1992. All of these are located next to the Cedar St. community garden. Up the hill from the orchard is a row of crabapple trees. There are also other plantings at the site, such as grapes, juneberries, and cranberries. The orchard is maintained by EarthWorks Projects and is accessible to anyone to pick the fruit.

Location: Cedar St. between Highland St. and Centre St.

Plants: Six apples (Red Astrachan, Black Oxford, Liberty, Macoun, and Tolman Sweet varieties), a Seckel pear, a Northstar cherry, several small hazels, and six crabapples trees.

Accessibility: Publicly accessible.

Dearborn Middle School
While many of the original plants are gone from the first planting in 1995, the small orchard behind Dearborn Middle School still boasts a cherry tree, a pear tree, two young mulberries, two filazel bushes, juneberries, and currants.

Location: 37 Greenville St.

Plants: Two filazels, two mulberries, two juneberries, two currants (Black & Buffalo), a cherry tree, and a peartree.

Accessibility: Please only collect fruit from school sites such as this when school is not in session, and consider calling the school first.

Hawthorne Youth and Community Center
The Hawthorne Youth and Community Center was planted with grapes and raspberries by EarthWorks in 1992 and later with a pear tree by the Boston Greenspace Alliance. The pear is still too young to bear fruit, and the grapes were damaged by poor pruning a few years ago, but the raspberries are doing well behind the vegetable garden. The relatively small amount of fruit at the site is generally reserved for use by the children at the Hawthorne Youth and Community Center.

Location: On Fulda St. at the corner of Fulda and Ellis St.

Plants: Raspberries, a grape vine, and two pears.

Accessibility: On HYCC property, but accessible. Ask at the Center before harvesting.

Shirley-Eustis House
The historic Shirley-Eustis House museum was first planted in 1993 with five Roxbury russet apple trees. In 2000 EarthWorks was asked to plant a historic orchard that now consists of ten apples, nine pears, two nectarines, two apricots, two peaches, four cherries, and a plum. In 2002 we added nine currant bushes and four gooseberry bushes. Most of the trees are now bearing fruit, but will not reach peak production for several more years. Please contact the Shirley-Eustis House before harvesting from the trees in their orchard (or to schedule a tour!).

All of the varieties used are antique, meaning they are cultivars that were identified in the 19th century or earlier. By planting historic fruit varieties in orchards like the Shirley-Eustis, EarthWorks is helping to preserve the biodiversity of agricultural plants, whose genetic diversity is threatened by the overuse of a narrow line of varieties in industrial agriculture. The orchard also stands as a living monument to Roxbury’s agricultural past, complete with plant varieties contemporary to this stage in the community’s history.

Currently, the orchard supplies fruit to the Food Project’s Dudley Town Common Market through a partnership between that organization, the Shirley Eustis House, and EarthWorks. EarthWorks orchardists have been training and advising Food Project staff on the chemical-free management of the orchard. Food Project staff passes on this knowledge to their teen interns.

Location: At Shirley St. and Dudley St.

Plants: North lawn, by carriage house – nine apples, four pears, two nectarines, two apricots, nine currants, and four gooseberries. South terraced lawn in front of house – six apples, five pears, four cherries, a plum, and a peach.

Accessibility: There are four mature apples, but they are not publicly accessible. The trees that are accessible are now bearing fruit, and will reach peak production in several years.

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