Mike Reed was one of several volunteers who showed up Wednesday to help plant a community orchard in an empty lot at S. 21st Street and I Avenue. This project, spearheaded by a group that calls itself New Castle Pride, initially involves 30 fruit trees and a variety of berry-bearing plants that eventually will be made available to anyone who wants fresh, free, organic produce. Staff photo by Kevin L. Green
Mike Reed was one of several volunteers who showed up Wednesday to help plant a community orchard in an empty lot at S. 21st Street and I Avenue. This project, spearheaded by a group that calls itself New Castle Pride, initially involves 30 fruit trees and a variety of berry-bearing plants that eventually will be made available to anyone who wants fresh, free, organic produce. Staff photo by Kevin L. Green
Nearly a dozen volunteers spent Wednesday planting 30 fruit trees on a vacant lot at 21st Street and I Avenue, across the street from Crown Industries. The site is the future home of a community urban orchard and was the brainchild of an organization of volunteers known as New Castle Pride.

According to Russell Dishman, three years or so ago he and friends Bob McCormick and Brian Riggs were in the habit of taking walks. They noticed litter and other debris was increasingly a problem throughout the community and decided to do something about it. Soliciting volunteers from their church, Memorial Wesleyan, they started picking up litter at various locations around town. City Council member Rex Peckinpaugh learned of their efforts and encouraged students at New Castle High School to get involved as well.

The lot was formerly a parking lot for Chrysler and is now owned by the city, gave permission for the orchard to be planted. Dishman said the city also donated $1,500 in riverboat revenue to further the effort and donated the use of equipment and personnel to prepare the site.

“We’re going to have all kinds of fruit trees and berries and it’s all for the community,” Dishman said. “Once everything starts growing and producing it will be free to the community, especially those with a genuine need. There will quite a variety: apple, cherry, peach, pear, and some berry bushes. We’re just trying to make good use of land that was sitting idle.”

In addition to the city’s seed money, Dishman said donations have come in from other sources. The plan is to plant 30 trees initially and to add roughly that many more as soon as funding is available to do so.

“Hopefully, this will catch on. People will see what we’re doing here and will want to help clean up their neighborhoods and other areas and it’ll just spread,” Dishman said.

Making life easier for everyone involved Wednesday, Richard Dalton drove his tractor to New Castle from Springport in order to use an auger attached to the tractor’s PTO shaft to dig the 30 holes needed for the trees.

“It was a long, cold ride but it’ll be worth it,” Dalton said.

McCormick said he and the others involved had hoped to have the orchard planted before now but the project was slowed down while he and Dishman battled cancer. Despite the delay, he’s pleased to see the effort move forward.

“I’ve lived here since I was 7 years old and think it’s just a great idea,” he said.
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