The City Citrus Project

City Citrus began in 2013 with goals to:

Convert underused urban green space into small, easily-managed citrus orchards that provide healthy food options naturally.
#SHARETHEFRUIT! Enhance communities and neighborhood experiences over shared resources (i.e. fruit). These orchards are “open-source.”
Encourage citizens to utilize edible native plants in landscapes which achieve multiple goals and make productive use of green space.
Improve the diminishing urban canopy of Baton Rouge.

The project does this in 2 ways:

City Citrus Site establishment: Baton Rouge Green assists volunteer Citrus Shepherds in establishing mini citrus orchards near businesses, churches, schools, libraries, etc. The Shepherds commit to care for the trees and share the fruit with their community. Baton Rouge Green staff is available to assist with professional knowledge, planning maintenance regimes and as a general resource to the Shepherds.
The Pick Event: Each year we match at-home Citrus Shepherds who have well-established trees producing more fruit than they can consume with volunteers pickers to harvest their citrus during winter. The fresh fruit, donated and harvested entirely by volunteers, is given to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank and distributed throughout their network to families in need.

Special thanks to Lamar Advertising of Baton Rouge for their ongoing support of City Citrus!