Putting our Orchard to Bed....and Farewell to our Pear Trees

Friday 11 Nov 2011 by admin | No Comments
Filed under: Uncategorized

A young volunteer helps mulch the trees with alfalfa

On an unusually balmy autumn day mid November, seven Growing for Green volunteers gathered in Ben Nobleman Park to put our Orchard to bed for winter. The main task was to mulch our trees with nutritious alfalfa hay, which we brought in from Niagara region earlier in the year. This is the third time this year that we’ve used alfalfa as mulch. Alfalfa hay, if you’ve never seen it, looks puffy when you first place it around the tree base but quickly disintegrates and enriches soil by giving our young trees a nice boost of nutrients.

Read the rest of this entry »


Sprucing up the Pollinator Garden

Sunday 30 Oct 2011 by admin | No Comments
Filed under: Stewardship

Zsuzsanna lends a hand in planting our donated bulbs on Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011 during a stewardship day in Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard.

If you’ve ever heard the African proverb or John Heywood’s famous idiom “many hands make light work,” you’ll understand what Growing for Green’s Sunday stewardship events are all about. Anyone can join in, as the more people who come and help out, the more work we get done. No special skills are needed – just a desire to get your hands dirty and work in the garden!

Last Sunday, on October 23, 2011, a small group of seven dedicated volunteers did just that, and pitched in to do a fall planting in the pollinator garden. Some pruned, others weeded or picked up debris but most spent the time planting. Yes, fall is one of the best times to plant.

Read the rest of this entry »


Shining Success for Second Annual Harvest Festival

Tuesday 4 Oct 2011 by admin | No Comments
Filed under: Events

Scores of visitors enjoyed a lovely, sunny day as Growing for Green hosted their second annual Harvest Festival on Sept. 22, 2011.

After days of rain (and nail-biting on the part of Growing for Green organizers), the clouds suddenly parted and the sun kindly decided to make a guest appearance on September 22, 2011 in honour of the second annual Harvest Festival in the Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard.

Earlier that afternoon, a tour group of about 25 participants visited, and were guided through an informative tour of the Orchard by our coordinator and co-founder, Susan Poizner. It was just one of 12 City-to-Country tours held by Sustain Ontario to explore various themes on urban agriculture.  Our kudos to organizer Carolyn Young for including Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard, which was a fresh, new place to many on the tour, and for managing this large-scale project.

Read the rest of this entry »


« Older Entries

  • Join Mailing List:

    Email Required