About Rent-a-Tree
What's it all about?
The purpose of this charitable website is to inspire and bring together all those who like the idea of running a scheme with all those who like the idea of getting involved in the countryside and feeling part of it by adopting a tree.
The simple concept and format creates a clear structure to visualise and understand the costs and returns involved in investing in the countryside without heavy capital outlay or risk.
Rent-a-tree can be a profitable sideline to an existing orchard, nursery, smallholding etc.
Rent-a-tree can be organised and run by individuals, community groups, local pubs, PTAs, churches, parish councils etc.
Although the growers do a superb job of producing apples, the criteria that supermarkets demand produces a monoculture of high volume, high yielding, uniform size, disease resistant, perfect appearance, reasonable tasting apples.
This is not always the same as an excitingly tasty mixture of apples, plums, cherries etc. which can all be grown in marvellous biodiversity (organically if desired) with renters swapping fruit with neighbours while picnicking under their tree, or making different mixes of fruit juice.
(Freshly pressed fruit juice will keep in a home freezer for months.)
If you are interested please feel free to register your interest on this site for all to see.
The history of rent-a-tree goes all the way back to the eighties, when Steve Smith of Littlefield Farm in Hertfordshire created the concept of renting apple trees to the public. See the news video from back then above.
