The 7th annual project to distribute native fruit and nut trees to homeowners, community gardens, and land projects in Carbondale neighborhoods and the surrounding region. Our goal is food autonomy, community engagement, & ecological awareness.

How it works:

The Neighborhood Planting Project distributes a limited variety of fruit or nut bearing, bare-foot tree seedlings. Trees are born at the IL state nursery and/or other regional tree nurseries. We bulk order trees, pick them up, and bring them to Southern Illinois. While trees are given away freely, just $1 covers the cost of a tree, and small donations help fund the project.

Trees are bare root, approximately 2-4′ tall, and easy to plant. All trees are native varieties which makes them hardy crops and excellent choices for a native edible landscape. We offer planting help to those who may need it, roughly within the city limits of Carbondale. Tree care and resources will be available off and on in the coming years, in coordination with the Washington Street Garden and the Carbondale Spring Food Autonomy project.

We have distributed 300 trees in 2018; 400 in 2019; 1,000 trees in 2020; 1600 trees in 2021; 2,000 in 2022.