An orchard will be planted at Edgecomb Eddy School this fall. ReTreeUS is a non-profit organization which plants orchards in schools, supports school gardens and provides educational programs that empower people to be fruitful environmental stewards. ReTreeUs visited Edgecomb Eddy this spring working with students, teachers and administration in planning a fall school orchard. “This is thanks to support from our local community through SeedMoney contributions, the Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club and First National Bank. In addition, the Boothbay Garden Club and (the) Botanical Gardens have contributed to the project with the planting of a perennial pollinator garden,” Principal Tom Landberg said.

ReTreeUS has been planting orchards in schools and with community partners for 11 years and has planted 70 school orchards. The types of trees it typically plants with schools are apple, pear and peach. During the spring visit, ReTreeUS met with students to measure and mark tree locations. “We talked about what conditions are important for fruit trees, what types of trees can grow here and about the decomposition that will be happening to prepare the planting sites. We also talked about the benefits of fruit trees including how they provide nutritious food, improve air quality and support pollinators, just to name a few,” Landberg said.

Students will work to make sure each tree location will have cardboard and compost placed over it to build the soil and reduce grass so it will be ready for planting in the fall. “The students planting and caring for the trees will be leaving a wonderful legacy for their community for years to come! You can learn more about ReTreeUS at retree.us,” Landburg said.