Why don't councils plant fruit trees?

[NewYearNewTwatName]

I have wondered this since I was a child.

The local council are busy planting trees on any bit of green space available at the moment, especially round residential areas.

Why couldn't some of them be a mix of things like cherry, apple, plum, pear?
may be nut trees too

Because they cause a lot more work when they eventually drop off and need clearing up

Not much more surely? I have fruit trees in the garden, and don't do anything with them, apart from pick some fruit off when it's ready, the rest just the birds have and rots into the ground.

Think of all the households who could use the fruit, or kids walking by and grabbing and apple.

There was an apple tree leaning over the path on the way to my primary school, we all use to pick and an apple on the way there and back. it was probably this tree that prompted my question when I was a child.

Ours have planted hundreds lately including several across the road from me.

Because the fruit on the pavement, and the multicoloured bird shit everywhere, is a menace. I live somewhere where the developers planted fruit trees. They’re an utter pain in the proverbial. Plus imagine the fuss if an apple falls and hits a child in the head or something.

yeah but the trees don't have to be near a pavement, most trees I've seen being planted are on large grassy areas.

I think community orchards would be a nice idea- as in specifically designated fields for fruit trees.

There’s a council-owned cherry tree outside my house and this time of year it is awash with beautiful white blossom. In a few weeks that blossom will fall and I will be sweeping up brown piles of old blossom, sometimes twice a day. After then the cherries come shortly followed by the wood pigeons who eat said cherries and then shit magenta slime down my car windscreen. The cherries that don’t get eaten will get smushed into the pavement and my hallway by kids/visitors. Can you tell how much this tree bothers me? I have asked the council to reduce the size so many times as it now has to be declared on my buildings insurance. I think they are more trouble than they are worth, OP.

Because God forbid people get free fruits easily. You're supposed to buy them or plant them yourself in your own garden if you have the space and all.

There is a scheme near where I live to plant apple trees. I don't think it is council run, but more of a community initiative. Anyone is welcome to the fruit, or you can collect lots and take it to a particular brewery who will compensate you for it. (I'm a bit hazy on details).

@Leapyleaffrog

Because the fruit on the pavement, and the multicoloured bird shit everywhere, is a menace. I live somewhere where the developers planted fruit trees. They’re an utter pain in the proverbial. Plus imagine the fuss if an apple falls and hits a child in the head or something.

That doesn't sound like a good reason to not plant fruit trees if the best reasons are bird shit and some very unlucky child being hit on the head by a falling apple. For what it's worth then I woul love more fruit and nut trees to be planted. I already love picking blackberry's and make 10's of kgs of jam from them each year for just the sugar costs. We had a massive cooking apple tree near by an made great apple tar and crumble from it.

Bimini sorry to hear about your badly placed nemesis of a cherry tree. I can imagine it is a PITA.

We have a council owned community orchard in my town

We have a couple of local community orchards, with more being planted, plus 2 huge “veg on the edge” raised beds at the end of my street.

It’s all down to the local “friends of” and community orgs though, and I live in a very “community” minded area. The local council don’t have anything to do with any of it.

I agree with you though, and think we should follow the Spanish/Italian example- their council equivalents often plant citrus trees everywhere in public places, and there never seems to be an issue with an over abundance of rotting oranges...

There's hundreds of apple and cherry trees in my town. Nobody ever seems to pick them. I don't think most people in the UK are interested in picking or foraging free food now, things have changed.

Because they cost money to maintain. My local council does have them in parks with "friends of" voluntary groups looking after them though, as someone else's time is paying for them.

smushed up apples on pavements can get quite slippery.

We have an apple tree in our close but that’s because it reflects the name of the actual close

It does occasionally attract the odd pain in the arse child who pulls the apples down and throws them around but generally it is very well respected.

I think councils have more important things to pay out for though than fruit trees. We got ours through an initiative around 10 years ago.

its nice to read there are some groups about doing similar, and I love idea of veg patches dotted about.

CMOTDibbler do many people know about it or where it is? I only ask as a town I live in apparently had one, but I never knew where it was or how open it was to just sort of turn up.

I think councils have more important things to pay out for though than fruit trees

That's my point though, they have already shelled out for trees and are planting them everywhere, fruit trees are not really any more expensive.

because fruit trees are a lot of work to maintain.

and if they are not in your own garden / on your own land then the responsibility for picking up rotting fruit every year would fall to the council who do not want to have to do that.

A number of reasons the biggest one being maintenance. I csn also imagine safety being another. Someone slips on fruit thats fallen to the ground and sues the council.

@OhShitShit

We have a couple of local community orchards, with more being planted, plus 2 huge “veg on the edge” raised beds at the end of my street.

It’s all down to the local “friends of” and community orgs though, and I live in a very “community” minded area. The local council don’t have anything to do with any of it.

I agree with you though, and think we should follow the Spanish/Italian example- their council equivalents often plant citrus trees everywhere in public places, and there never seems to be an issue with an over abundance of rotting oranges...

They do have to remove the fruit though and people do complain if it gets left too long and starts creating a mess in the street. Where I live the orange blossom in spring is amazing and they send the oranges (bitter, not eating oranges) and Lemons to be bio composted for energy.

Bubblebu if not planted near a pavement then why can't the fruit just rot into the ground? I don't pick it the fruit up that's fallen.

As I said if the fruit tree on grass not near pavements, then what is the problem?