An
orchard is an intentional planting of
trees or
shrubs that is maintained for
food production. Orchards comprise
fruit,
vegetable, and
nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large
gardens, where they serve an
aesthetic as well as a productive purpose. A fruit garden is generally synonymous with an orchard, although it is set on a smaller non-commercial scale and may emphasize
berry shrubs in preference to
fruit trees. Most
temperate-zone orchards are laid out in a regular grid, with a grazed or mown
grass or bare
soil base that makes maintenance and fruit gathering easy.