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.
We also had a very sad job to do that day. When the Orchard was established in 2009, we planted nine fruit trees: three plums, three cherries and three pears. Soon after they were planted, small orange spots appeared on the pear trees leaves. We didn't know what it was at the time, but later learned the trees were infected by pear rust fungus that had been affecting fruiting and ornamental pear trees around our neighbourhood.
Pear Rust: the reason we had to dig up our young pear trees
Last year, more spots appeared on the pear tree leaves and as the season progressed, the underside of those spots became bubbly. We were advised not to compost any diseased leaves or leave them on the ground where the fungus could continue to thrive. Instead we carefully removed all diseased leaves and disposed of them in the garbage to help prevent the fungus from spreading in the years to come. Nevertheless, this year, our three pear trees were so heavily affected with this fungus that we had to dig them out and destroy them.
Norm Herbert, former orchard manager of E.D. Smith Farms and our resident expert, explained earlier this year that most pear growers wouldn’t even know what pear rust looks like since conventional orchards spray their trees regularly with fungicides as a preventative measure. As an Orchard in a public park, we strive to use organic methods and avoid the use of chemicals. Thus three of the original trees are now gone. Over the winter we’ll decide on another type of fruit tree to replace them with but our priority will be to choose a disease resistant variety. And until we find an organic way to prevent pear rust, we won't plant pears again.
Without using chemicals, we need to protect our trees from disease. With this in mind, we must stress the importance of selecting the right tree to begin with – hardy, disease resistant varieties are best. The next lesson we’ve learned is that during the growing season, we must carefully check our trees each week for any potential problems and then deal with any promptly. Pruning off a diseased branch early on can often prevent future problems. Clearly for fruit trees, disease prevention is the way to go.
So, the 2011 growing season has come and gone, and we have learned so much. Perhaps the biggest lesson is in realizing how hard farmers work to produce fruit for us to eat – often battling issues of weather, infestation, disease, and drought. And while this year has been great for learning, it’s also been great for community. Thanks to all our fantastic volunteers who come to work with us and enjoy our trees and pollinator garden, the fresh air, our beautiful park and our growing sense of community. Relax. Enjoy the winter. Keep warm. And we look forward to starting another adventure in the Orchard with you next spring!
Growing for Green volunteers on our last stewardship day of 2011
