Home » Louisville opens urban orchard in Russell neighborhood

Louisville opens urban orchard in Russell neighborhood

Will produce fruit, flowers for residents to harvest

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (July 18, 2016) — Mayor Greg Fischer on Friday announced the opening of Produce Park, an urban orchard in the Russell neighborhood. Located across the street from the future location of the West Louisville FoodPort, Produce Park will produce peaches, cherries, apples, plums and flowers for residents to harvest.

IMG_1143-700x360The orchard, which was previously a vacant lot, has been made possible through $30,000 in funding awarded to Fischer’s Innovation & Delivery Team by the Bloomberg Fund. Execution of the project was made possible from the public/private partnership of Develop Louisville’s Office of Vacant & Public Property Administration (VPPA), consultant Gresham Smith & Partners, and nonprofit organization Louisville Grows. The community space is a three year project.

“Produce Park is achieving many goals including providing Russell residents with an opportunity to harvest and to learn about locally grown food, adding an active green space to the neighborhood and eliminating a vacant lot,” Fischer said. “The space will be a terrific community-building place.”

Gresham Smith & Partners served as the technical advisor for Produce Park and Louisville Grows, a nonprofit focused on promoting urban agriculture and forestry based in Portland, will serve as site manager. Louisville Grows plans to not only maintain the site but also to educate residents about the planting process so they can create their own gardens or orchards at home.

Residents have also contributed to a mural painting filled with images of community and nature on the sides of an onsite shipping container that serves as storage for the park. The project received significant contributions from residents and community members, as well as Reading Rock, University of Kentucky College of Landscape Architecture and Patrick Henry Landscape Architects.