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Community Corner

Incredible Edible Fruit Tree, Vine, and Berry Bush Sale

ALFI’s fruit tree and berry bush sale encourages Atlantans to grow where they are


 Contacts: info@atlantalocalfood.org


Who: Atlanta Local Food Initiative (ALFI)

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What: Fruit trees, berry bushes, and fruiting vines will feed your community for decades, and their unique branches, leaves, and colorful blossoms add aesthetic beauty to any landscape. The Atlanta Local Food Initiative’s (ALFI) Incredible, Edible, Grow-It-Yourself Fruit Tree, Vine & Berry Bush Sale offers a unique opportunity to buy fruiting trees, bushes, and vines chosen by experts for their ability to thrive in the Georgia climate with minimal maintenance. The fruit tree and berry bush sale is the annual fundraiser for the Atlanta Local Food Initiative, a network committed to growing a local food system that nourishes the people, environment, economy, and communities in metro Atlanta.


Varieties of fruit trees, bushes, and vines including apple, fig, kiwi, paw paw, pear, persimmon, plum, pomegranate, nectarine, hazelnut, blueberry, raspberry, and muscadine will be available for pre-sale beginning November 15, 2012 and can be purchased online at: https://app.etapestry.com/cart/GeorgiaOrganics/default/category.php?ref=...

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Shoppers also have the option to directly donate to the Garden Project sponsored by ALFI which installs school orchards with the bushes and trees purchased for this purpose. In the past 3 years, 8  Garden Project orchards have been installed at Title I schools around the Atlanta area; these orchards provide a jumping off point for students, parents, and teachers to actively connect with and have access to fresh, sustainably grown food.


“The fruit tree sale is ALFI’s primary source of funding, while simultaneously furthering our mission by incorporating more edible plants into the local landscape,” says Julie Self, Executive Director of ALFI. “The funds raised through this sale help ALFI serve its important role to facilitate improvements in the local food system – from supporting local farms, connecting like-minded community organizations, and making local, sustainable food more accessible to everyone in metro-Atlanta.”


All orders will be ready for pick up on Saturday February 23, 2013 at the Georgia Organics annual conference at the Georgia International Convention Center from 10am-2pm. UGA Master Gardeners and other experts will be on hand during the sale and pickup to provide guidance about raising a healthy, fruitful tree.  Individuals will receive a complimentary pass to the Georgia Organics Conference Expo held on Saturday Feb. 23rd with a minimum purchase of $20 the day of the Sale or during the pre-sale. 


This year the Georgia Organics conference will offer an in-depth, 3-hour education session, “Grow-Your-Own: Fruit Trees, Vines and Berry Bushes” on Friday Feb. 22nd; led by horticulturalists and experts from around the state on growing and maintaining fruit trees, vines and berry bushes. To purchase and register for this education session, visit the Georgia Organics e-store beginning December 1, 2012; $40 early-bird Georgia Organics member rate will end on January 8, 2013.  


More information about fruit tree varieties, planting tips, and examples of past plantings are available on the ALFI website, www.atlantalocalfood.org


When: Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013 10 am- 2pm


Where: Georgia International Convention Center, Exhibit Hall B


Sponsors: Atlanta Local Food Initiative, Georgia Organics

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