It was one of those days that reminds us what community orchards are really all about.
Our Saturday began bright and early at 8:00 a.m. with a team of volunteers ready to tackle one of the biggest jobs of the season: cleaning up the pollinator garden before our annual plant sale.
Our first mission was to hunt down Manitoba maple seedlings. These fast-growing volunteer trees have a habit of appearing everywhere, and if they’re left too long, they quickly establish deep roots and become much harder to remove. It almost felt like we were on a neighbourhood “most wanted” hunt, with everyone learning how to recognize the tiny culprits before they could take over the garden!
There was plenty more to do as well. We cut back cherry root suckers, removed weeds, and gave the garden a thorough tidy-up.
Marianne and Ian carefully pruned our yellow dogwood shrubs. If left on their own, these shrubs can grow surprisingly tall, eventually competing with the ornamental cherry trees for space and light. By shortening them now, we’ll encourage healthy growth while keeping them at a better size for the garden.
Giselle also shared another helpful gardening tip. She explained that cutting back goldenrod at this time of year keeps the plants shorter and sturdier. They’ll still produce their beautiful late-season flowers, but they’re much less likely to flop over.
One of the highlights of the morning belonged to Eleanor, who discovered what may have been the biggest burdock plant the world has ever seen. Towering well above her head, it looked more like a small tree than a weed! Like a determined lumberjack, she dug around its enormous root and hauled the giant plant out of the garden to everyone’s amazement.
By 9:30, the pollinator garden was looking beautiful, and we were ready for our annual plant sale.
For the past couple of years, Giselle has lovingly grown hundreds of seedlings and divided many of her own garden plants to raise money for the orchard. Every dollar helps us purchase compost, mulch and other supplies that keep our fruit trees and pollinator garden thriving.
This year’s sale received an extra boost thanks to our wonderful neighbour and long-time orchard supporter, Realtor Ben Kayfetz, who generously sponsored the event by arranging for flyers to be delivered throughout the neighbourhood. We are so grateful for his support.
At the end of the day, we raised a wonderful $247.75 for the orchard, thanks to Giselle’s hard work and everyone’s support.
It was also simply a lovely morning to spend together. Between helping park visitors choose plants, we enjoyed catching up around the harvest table while Giselle answered questions about native plants and where they grow best.
A big thank you also goes to Elli and Sara, who created beautiful signs to welcome visitors into the park and had planned to lead an orchard tour later that morning. While no one took us up on the tour this time, we enjoyed the extra opportunity to chat with one another and with visitors who stopped by.
One final piece of good news: although we didn’t organize a community cherry harvest this year, our sweet cherry trees were harvested almost entirely by neighbourhood residents. Every year the trees produce an incredible crop, and it’s wonderful to know that the fruit was picked, enjoyed and shared throughout the community rather than going to waste.
Thank you to everyone who came out to weed, prune, dig, haul, organize, sell plants, answer questions, set up signs, and simply spend time together. Days like this don’t happen because of one person. They happen because many people each contribute a little, and together we create something truly special.
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.