Winter Orchard Prep: Protecting Your Trees for a Healthy Spring

As the growing season winds down, winter orchard care is key to ensuring your trees wake up healthy and productive in the spring. Proper winter prep reduces pests and disease, protects roots and bark, and sets the stage for strong growth next year.

Read on for a comprehensive checklist to get your orchard ready!

From Clay to Seed: How One Artist Grew a Garden of Fruit Trees

When Rebecca Koop saw an abandoned lot beside her pottery studio in Kansas City’s Northeast neighborhood, she imagined more than rubble and weeds. She envisioned a place where neighbors could grow food, plant trees, and gather together. Today that vision has blossomed into the St. John Community Garden and orchard, a testament to Rebecca’s lifelong commitment to art, gardening, and community.

Community, OpportunityHannah LavenburgOctober 13, 2025

Orchards as a Public Health Intervention: How Trees Feed More Than Our Bodies

Trees do far more than provide food or shade—they nurture our health, strengthen our communities, and shape the way we connect with one another. In this post, Ashley Vernon Williamson, the Co-Executive Director of Giving Grove reflests on the magic of trees from childhood to her work with Giving Grove, and shares compelling research from Dr. Geof Donovan that reveals just how deeply trees impact public health and community resilience.

New Resources for Planning, Designing, and Managing Forest Gardens

Food forests are gaining momentum as a resilient, community-centered way to grow food while restoring ecosystems—but for many growers, knowing where to start can feel overwhelming. That’s why Katherine Favor of The Giving Grove National Orchard Advisory Committee, in partnership with leading agroforestry organizations, has developed new resources to help communities plan, design, and manage thriving forest gardens tailored to their unique sites and needs.

With My Head in the Trees

What do a rock concert, a childhood tree fort, and a major career shift have in common? This reflective piece explores the journey from a fast-paced career in entertainment to a more grounded life in urban reforestation. Through personal stories and pivotal moments, it highlights the importance of reconnecting with purpose, community, and the natural world.

Camp Giving Grove: Where Inspiration, Knowledge, and Connection Grow

In this month’s blog, we’re sharing a glimpse into Camp Giving Grove, our annual National Affiliate Conference that brings together orchard leaders from across the country. More than just a conference, it feels like summer camp, a place where people connect, learn from each other, and get inspired. This year’s gathering took place in Seattle, where over 35 leaders came together to tour orchards, share ideas, and strengthen the work we do in communities nationwide.

Mulberries and my story in Memphis

Meet a Memphis-based orchardist with The Giving Grove and The Works, Inc., whose journey from foraging mulberries in Pittsburgh to planting fruit trees in Memphis reflects the deep connection between food, community, and land. Discover how one mulberry tree inspired her lifelong commitment to urban orchards and community stewardship.

Growing Together in Longfellow: A Story of Food, Family, and Community

This month, we’re highlighting Longfellow Farm, a Giving Grove orchard supported by Kansas City Community Gardens and grassroots community garden tucked into a Kansas City neighborhood. In this conversation with founder Ami Freeberg, we explore how a once-vacant lot became a thriving space for food, family, and connection. All powered by neighbors who show up, dig in, and share what grows.

A Seed Planted in Somerset

This blog traces the winding path that led Ryan from law offices in Brooklyn to the cider-rich hills of the Catskills - and ultimately to his role in helping communities across the nation grow their own edible legacies.

Tree Grafting: How to Grow Different Fruits on One Tree

Imagine walking up to a single tree and picking peaches, plums, cherries, and apricots—all from different branches. Sounds magical, right? But it’s real! It’s thanks to an old but simple farming trick called grafting.

The Good Bugs are Coming (aka Pollinators!)

Spring is here, and so are the bugs. Some of them will chew holes in your cabbage. Some will sip nectar and mind their own beeswax. And some, dear gardener, will go to battle for you. In this guest blog, Sarah Sikich shares how to roll out the red carpet for the bugs that have your back.

Building Stronger Communities: Corporate Partnerships with The Giving Grove

At The Giving Grove, we believe strong partnerships drive lasting change. When nonprofits and businesses collaborate, they amplify their impact on sustainability and community vitality. Through our nationwide network of orchards and food forests, we’ve seen how teamwork transforms neighborhoods, improves food access, and benefits the environment. In this post, we’ll explore corporate partnership models and how businesses can help create a greener, more sustainable future.

Community Building Through Mural Art

In communities that have experienced historical disinvestment and hardship, every step toward revitalization becomes a moment of hope and renewal. One of the most powerful ways to transform a space and build community is through collaborative artistic projects, such as mural painting.

The Giving Grove Welcomes Project Pando to Its National Network!

We’re thrilled to announce that Project Pando has officially joined The Giving Grove National Network! This partnership in North Carolina marks an important step in expanding our mission, and we’re eager to get started. Beginning in Spring 2025, we will work together to plant over 200 small community orchards across Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, providing free, fresh food to neighborhoods in need while helping people reconnect with nature.