Girls with Power Tools: A Shed Transformation and more at Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard!

Sara and Giselle standing in front of the newly renovated orchard shed.
Sara and Giselle standing in front of the newly renovated orchard shed.
Sara in the shed with the walls lined with tools hanging on hooks.
The shed now looks roomy enough for a tea party.

Today was an exciting day at the Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard. The big news? Sara and Giselle finished our orchard shed renovation! They’ve turned our once cluttered shed into a well-organized haven for all our gardening tools. Some of us even joked that they should start their own shed renovation daytime TV show. I mean, with skills like theirs, they could definitely pull it off!

Our stewardship morning was a huge success, thanks to our amazing team of over 10 volunteers. Everyone showed up ready to work and tackled a variety of tasks:

• Weeding the Pollinator Garden: Our pollinator garden looks fantastic after a thorough weeding session. This garden is crucial for attracting beneficial insects to our orchard. Plus, the beautiful flowers there brighten up the park for everyone.

• Pruning the Fruit Trees: Keeping our fruit trees healthy and productive is a top priority. The volunteers did an excellent job of pruning ensuring the trees will thrive.

• Shaping the Shrubs in the Shade Garden: The shade garden also got some attention, with our youngest volunteer pruning out cottoneaster suckers while others pruned back the mature shrubs to keep air circulating and sight lines open in that bed.

After a busy morning, our garden is looking better than ever. However, we’re taking a few weeks off before our next stewardship day (which will be on July 6, 2024). But remember, the garden keeps growing and will stop for no one!

Want to join our group and get your hands dirty with some rewarding gardening work? We’d love to have you! Just send an email to growingforgreen (at) gmail.com to get involved.

Until next time, happy gardening!

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.