Today, community gardens can be found in towns across Croatia, and Varaždin is riding that wave of success with a new project: a community orchard with about 200 pear and apple trees planted in circles, and 90 raspberry and blackberry bushes. In the center there’s room for social gatherings, and a sculpture of a tree made by a local sculptor.

“We see this orchard as a great opportunity to educate people directly and in such a way that they can later implement that knowledge in their own orchard, if they have one,” Kramar says.

Grow A Tree is already starting to shift the orchard from a conventional cultivation to permaculture. A local university has added two beehives, and plans to add new plant species to increase biodiversity and to attract more bees, as well as birds, bugs, squirrels, and reptiles.

This, combined with less mowing, should also enhance the soil quality, which should mean more and better fruit come harvest time.

The orchard, and similar projects, are an opportunity not only to rebuild the soil, but also to rebuild a sense of community.
“It is very important to treat the soil more sustainably, since our soils have been so degraded,” explains Kramar.

The Grow A Tree community feels that, just like the soil, human communities in Croatia are in many ways exhausted, and are in need of nurturing. The orchard, and similar projects, are an opportunity not only to rebuild the soil, but also to rebuild a sense of community.

Read the full article about rebuilding a sense of community by Marina Kelava at Sharable.