Free Fruit Trees This Fall–Plant a Paw Paw

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The paw paw in all its glory.

The paw paw in all its glory.

If you’re lucky enough to have a yard you just got luckier. New York Restoration Project is giving away free trees again this fall, and this time they’re all fruit trees. There are a few criteria–you have to plant them somewhere in the five boroughs, in a yard, not in a park, along a city street, or in a container on a terrace, deck or roof, and you have to agree to maintain the trees, properly watering and caring for them. Seems like a pretty fair deal.

So what kind of fruit is in your future? NYRP will be handing out a variety, which will change from week to week. For the first weekend they’re getting started with Asian pear, golden apricot and paw paw trees. If you’re not familiar with the paw paw, it’s often billed as the banana’s northern cousin, though much less durable, which is part of why the long, yellow Cavendish banana is ubiquitous, and the lumpy greenish-gold paw paw obscure, despite being grown much closer to home. (The U.S. tendency to meddle in and plunder the Caribbean and Central America being most of the rest of the reason.) And, with a disastrous fungus knocking out commercial bananas around the world, before long a PB&Paw paw is going to become a seasonal delicacy anyway. 

If you have room for a fruit tree in your yard, by all means, go get one. If you don’t have a spot, like most of us, consider caring for a street tree. It’s a lot less work than a feral cat colony. More details on care and such on NYRP’s website. Here’s the complete giveaway schedule for Brooklyn:

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 9:00AM-11:00AM
LOCATION: 410 LIVONIA AVE (BETWEEN POWELL AND JUNIUS), BROOKLYN, NY 11210
HOST: ISABAHALIA LADIES OF ELEGANCE FOUNDATION AT POWELL STREET GARDEN

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 11:00AM-1:00PM
LOCATION: 2195 FLATBUSH AVE, BROOKLYN, NY 11234
HOST: TD BANK – MARINE PARK

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 10:00AM-12:00PM
LOCATION: 585 DEKALB AVE. BROOKLYN, NY 11205
HOST: HOME DEPOT-BROOKLYN

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 11:00AM-1:00PM
LOCATION: 1360 FULTON ST
HOST: BEDFORD STUYVESANT RESTORATION CORPORTATION AND THE COALITION FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF BEDFORD STUYVESANT

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 11:00AM-1:00PM
LOCATION: SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN, NY
HOST: THE OFFICE OF COUNCIL MEMBER CARLOS MENCHACA

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 11:00AM-1:00PM
LOCATION: 120 JEFFERSON ST, BROOKLYN, NY
HOST: EL GARDEN

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 11:00AM-1:00PM
LOCATION: 686 LAFAYETTE AVENUE, BROOKLYN, NY
HOST: PRATT AREA COMMUNITY COUNCIL

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 12:00PM-2:00PM
LOCATION: 2925 NEPTUNE AVE, BROOKLYN, NY
HOST: FRIENDS OF KAISER PARK INC.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 12:00PM-2:00PM
LOCATION: 22 LINDEN BOULEVARD, BROOKLYN, NY
HOST: BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY – FRIENDS OF FLATBUSH BRANCH

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26, 12:00PM-2:00PM
LOCATION: 1310 EAST 4TH ST, BROOKLYN, NY
HOST: THE OFFICE OF COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID G. GREENFIELD

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