A Fun Reunion and Orchard Sox Session at Ben Nobleman Park

Janina (left) and Reenie (right) are former park volunteers.
Gail (left) and Susan (center) with Janina (back left) and Reenie (back right).
Undersized or infested fruitlets were removed from the tree, sealed up in a bag and tossed in the garbage. This will prevent the insects from continuing their life cycle in our community orchard.
Orchard sox are try on socks that cover the growing fruit on a tree. They prevent insect pests from laying their eggs under the skin of the growing fruit.
Reenie, in a red top, applying orchard sox to the growing apples on this apple tree.
A mock orange bush in our park with lovely flowers. It's hidden in an overgrown shrub bed.

Today was a lovely overcast day at the Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard. Susan and Gail met former volunteers Reenie and Janina for a fun reunion and an orchard sox application session. We thinned out the fruit on one of our apple trees, removing any small fruitlets or ones already infiltrated by coddling moths.

Then, we started covering the remaining apples with “orchard sox”—those try-on socks you get at a shoe store. These sox will prevent pests from laying their eggs under the skin of the growing fruit and they are one of the easiest ways to protect apple trees from pest infestations.

We had a great time working on the tree and catching up. Janina is now officially a doctor (Ph.D.), and Reenie has earned her MA. We’re so proud of both of them! Even more exciting, Janina and Reenie are getting married this summer! Now that they’re not as busy with studies, they hope to join us in the park again.

Janina was amazed when she saw our orchard shed. She remembered it being a crazy jumble of tools, but now it’s organized and beautiful, even though it’s still not 100 percent finished.

We also discovered a hidden gem in our park—a mock orange bush (Philadelphus coronarius) with lovely flowers, tucked away in an overgrown shrub bed. It was a fun day, and we’ll continue to apply sox on Saturday, our next stewardship day.

Want to join us? Email us at growingforgreen (at) gmail.com, and we’ll tell you how you can get involved. We look forward to seeing 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.