Kū ‘Āina Pā: Best Practices for School Orchards
Checklist and variety recommendations, Spring 2014 workshop
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Recommended Fruit Trees for School Gardens in Hawai‘i
Suggested varieties for school gardens: These varieties are all good for either eating out of hand, or easily cutting for snacks. All fruit trees need space around them for easy picking, and a plan for care and harvesting before they are planted.

Smaller trees and bushes: 

1. Short Banana varieties like Chinese or Raja Puri
2. Tangerine: Fremont, Honey, or any other local varieties (Plant It Hawai‘i has trees)
3. Washington Navel Orange
4. Surinam Cherry – Good for Vitamin C-4. Acerola Cherry – Good for Vitamin C
5. Poha Berry
6. Papaya, non-GMO
7. Mulberry
8. Fig – several varieties do very well in Hawaii, depending on location.
9. Cinnamon (Cinnamon zeylanicum) – Ceylon variety

Larger Trees requiring more space: 

1. Avocado – grafted
2. ‘Ulu (Breadfruit) – often available through Kua O Ka Lā PCS or Amy Greenwell Garden
3. Coconut – dwarf varieties such as Samoan, etc.
4. Jackfruit
5. Mountain Apple

Fruit Tree Planting Foundation’s Fruit Tree 101 Grant
Fruit Tree Planting Foundation’s “Fruit Tree 101” program creates outdoor edible orchard classrooms at public schools of all levels, across the country, to provide generations of students with environmental education opportunities and a source of organic fruit for improved school lunch nutrition. “Fruit Tree 101” is a FTPF program that brings fruit tree orchards to schoolyards so students can improve the quality of the air and water while creating a source of tasty snacks for decades to come. Not only do our schoolyard fruit orchards help the environment, but they give your teacher an excuse to hold class outside when it’s time for science lessons!

Jamba Juice/National Gardening Association – It’s All About the Fruit Grant
Jamba Juice sponsored “It’s All About the Fruit” Tree grant award program was designed to provide grants to local schools and community educational organizations to plant fruit trees as a fun, innovative way to promote nutrition education for young students. The program, administered by the National Gardening Association, addresses the need for children to learn about healthy lifestyle choices through fruit tree production and gardening experiences. Children gain valuable first-hand knowledge about the value and benefits of growing their own food through hands-on involvement with the selection, planting, harvesting and long-term care of fruit trees. The grant submission period seems to be September through February with winners announced in April. Look for this grant to be announced next September.

Grants Bring Orchards of “Exotic” Fruit Trees to Two O‘ahu Schools 
Here’s an article about how Waikiki and Waialua Elementary were able to plant fruit trees on campus with help from this Fruit Tree Planting Foundation’s educational program, Fruit Tree 101.

Fruit Tree Care from Plant it Hawai‘i
With over 100 years of combined experience growing fruit trees on the Big Island, the crew at Plant It Hawai‘i are the best in the business. If you have any questions that our website cannot answer please feel free to contact them at 808-966-6633.