The Historic Orchard is a 3.3-acre site planted in 1994 and located in Guadalupe Gardens just south of Taylor Street, adjacent to the Heritage Rose Garden and River Park trails. The map below shows what kinds of trees used to grow in the Santa Clara Valley. In the 1930s and ’40s almost everyone who lived here was engaged in the business of fruit production: growing, picking, packing, canning, selling, or otherwise supporting the industry. Today, with very few orchards remaining, this is a place where adults and children can come to experience a piece of local history. Fruit harvested from the Historic Orchard is donated to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley and local shelters.
The orchard was planted with over 200 fruit trees: cherries, apricots, prunes, apples, and more, that were grown in the Valley over the last century. Learn more about our Historic Orchard revitalization efforts here.
The orchard is a living example of an earlier lifestyle and the fruit-picking economy that once drove the Santa Clara Valley.
Community workdays typically occur the first Saturday of the month from 9:00-11:30am.
Between January 2021 to February 2024 we hosted a series of Historic Orchard tree planting days, with the most recent and last tree planting day made possible in part by a generous grant from AMD.
Would you like to support the revitalization of the Historic Orchard and make your mark on San Jose agricultural history? Register to volunteer with us or you can send a donation of any amount online.