1. The Philadelphia Prison
System Orchard Project
it always begins with a vision …
A collaborative project of:
The Mayor’s Office
PPS
Philadelphia Orchard Project
One Village Farm
Parks & Recreation

2. October 2014
Site had been
selected, researched
and surveyed with
the help of the NRCS
First the two acre field had to be
mowed with a flail mower and then
rototilled so that it can be graded.

3. Surveying the land for re-grading
using the transit

4. Big equipment arriving, in
the meantime hauling out
truck load after truck load
of trash and large objects

5. A 16 inch deep gravel layer with landscape cloth
underneath had to be removed with the Bulldozer
so that fruit trees can grow in actual soil

6. Video: Bulldozer in action

7. The gravel was re-used on site to create one non
soil quadrant for alternative use such as High
Tunnel and Raised Bed horticultural production

8. material originated both from
on-site production (left)
and mushroom soil
Compost delivery

9. Spreading compost, using all
the equipment we had.
Orchards need well drained
and fertile soil.
A total of three tractor trailer
loads (240 cubic yards or 60
tons) of compost have been
spread. This was a necessary
amendment to this otherwise
impoverished soil.

10. Tilling in compost
and creating
raised beds

11. Designing an efficient, low pressure Irrigation System

12. Working with inmates to install the
subterraneous irrigation system

13. The Amish are coming – with big equipment
Installation of the Deer Fence

14. And finally – 187 fruit trees were planted on November
14th 2014, with 50 more to come in the spring of 2015.
Thank You to
everyone involved!