It was a bit chilly today, but that doesn’t stop the rugged and hardy volunteers of the Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard! We kept warm by doing a spring cleanup on our pollinator garden. Participants included Gail (who opened up the shed) Eleanor, Giselle, Rael, Susan and Annie.

Jobs included removing dead plant material from last year, removing cherry suckers, pruning the dogwood bushes etc. Lots of plants are popping up already including Autumn Joy sedums, Zizia, Cardinal flower etc.

Today is also the day of the free bike tuneup booth (Thank you GoDutch Bikes) and free orchard tours! Sara and Ellie will be your tour guides! They will show you our fruit trees and share the secrets of how we care for them! Tours happen at 11.30, 12.30 and 1.30.

It’s so fun to be outside and see my buddies. I missed this over the winter. Will you come to join us next time? Email us at growingforgreen (at) gmail.com to join our group. See you in the park!

Susan Poizner is one of the volunteers for The Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard in Toronto. She is the creator of the fruit tree care education website OrchardPeople.com.  Susan is the author of four fruit tree care books including Grow Fruit Trees Fast: A Beginner’s Guide to a Healthy Harvest in Record Time. She is also the host of the Orchard People podcast and an ISA Certified Arborist.