June marks the beginning of the blooming season for many of the City of Grande Prairie’s Community Orchards.

The City is proud to have over 30 edible landscape locations with half of them ready to harvest this summer. An interactive map with orchard locations and fruit varieties is now available at cityofgp.com/orchards.

Several different types of fruit-bearing plants are in orchards across the city and will be ready to harvest at various times throughout the season.

The City of Grande Prairie asks that anyone taking advantage of their community orchards this season follow a few simple guidelines:

  • Be a considerate neighbor and only take your share
  • Be gentle with the plants – rough handling can damage or kill them
  • Close the fence (fenced orchards only) when you leave to protect the trees from animals
  • Wash produce before consumption

The City of Grande Prairie’s first community orchards were planted in 2015 as part of the Edible Landscapes initiative, with more added in the following years. The Edible Landscapes initiative aims to provide sustainable and accessible community food sources while enhancing neighbourhood parks. In addition to the community orchards the GP Grows program has provided the free opportunity for residents to plant their own seeds and grow their own food, and has also included the planting of vegetables across the City that will be harvested in the Fall.

For more information on Community Orchards, visit cityofgp.com/orchards.