New Plymouth District has a great variety of community orchards for everyone to enjoy. Have fun exploring and please only take what you or your family will personally use.
Sheppard's Bush is NPDC’s largest community orchard. There are a number of heritage apples on the site as well as different varieties of plums, pears, and peaches.
The main entrance is off Brois street and there are also two walkway access points off Budleigh Street.
The heritage fruit collection was established by the Open Polytechnic in New Plymouth and then donated to NPDC and first planted at Milne Place Orchard in June/July 2003.
The heritage fruit collection from the Polytechnic consists of apples, plums and pears and was collected from around the Taranaki District. Some are over 100 years old.
The heritage grapes are cuttings from the first grapes brought into Taranaki in the 1870’s, the original grape vine is still located at Pukekura Park in Stanton Dell.
The citrus, olives and cranberries have been added to increase different varieties to the orchard and are not heritage varieties.
Varieties on site:
The orchard was first planted with fruit trees in 2000.
The land was previously a swamp and then used for grazing stock. The original planting consisted of old fashioned varieties as they are pest and disease resistant.
The site is home to multiple different varieties of peaches, plums, apples, oranges, lemons, tangelos, and figs.
In 2015 this orchard was planted at the site of the former Okato Primary School. NPDC bought the 0.4ha block from the Ministry of Education to create a public space in the centre of town, and in addition to the orchard there is also a playground and a skatepark.
All of the trees were donated by Okato residents.
Varieties on site:
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Page last updated: 10:53am Mon 08 July 2024