Piper Orchard facts for kids
Piper Orchard is a special fruit orchard in Seattle, Washington. It's found inside Carkeek Park and is mostly home to old-fashioned apple trees. These trees are called 'heirloom' because they are older types, often grown from seeds passed down through generations.
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History of Piper Orchard
How the Orchard Began
The Piper Orchard started a long time ago. It was planted on the land of an important Seattle settler named A. W. Piper. This happened after the big Great Seattle Fire in 1889. The fire destroyed the Pipers' candy business downtown.
The orchard sits on a hillside in an area now called Piper Canyon. It is located just above Pipers Creek. Mrs. Wilhelmina Piper, also known as Minna, was the main gardener. She was also skilled at grafting, which means joining parts of two plants so they grow as one. One of their sons, Paul Piper, used to take the fresh fruit to sell in Seattle.
Bringing the Orchard Back to Life
By 1983, the orchard had become overgrown and hidden. A group of volunteers decided to help. They started clearing away all the extra plants. The Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation encouraged their hard work.
During this cleanup, they found twenty-nine different kinds of fruit trees still alive. These trees were on about 1.5 acres of cleared land. It looked like the trees were planted in a grid, about 20 feet apart. Most of these trees were apple trees from the 1890s. Some types found include Wealthy, King, Gravenstein, and Rhode Island Greening. There were also some pear, cherry, and chestnut trees.
Piper Orchard Today
There are now about fifty fruit and nut trees in the orchard. They are arranged in a grid, like a map. About half of these trees have been added or grafted since the orchard was restored in 1984.
The orchard is cared for by both Seattle Parks staff and community volunteers. The "Friends of Piper Orchard" group helps organize the volunteers. They also work with Carkeek Park to plan work parties and fun community events.
Orchard Work Parties
Volunteers meet almost every month of the year. They usually gather on the third Saturday. During these work parties, they prune the trees, clean up the area, and do other important maintenance. This helps keep the orchard healthy and beautiful.
Festival of Fruit
Since 2007, an annual Festival of Fruit has been held at the orchard. It's a fun event where visitors can do many things. People can enter an apple pie baking contest. They can also taste different heirloom apple varieties grown right there in Piper Orchard.
