Caring for Our Community Orchard: Then and Now

When we planted the Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard back in 2009, we worked closely with the City of Toronto to develop a clear and thoughtful planting plan. That plan included a maximum of 24 fruit and nut trees.

Over the years, we’ve carefully planted a mix of apple, pear, plum, cherry, apricot, serviceberry, pawpaw, and Asian pear trees. Some of those trees are still going strong. Others haven’t been so lucky—disease, vandalism, LRT construction or increasing shade due to neighbouring trees getting larger have taken their toll, and in some cases, trees have had to be removed.

When that happens, we don’t leave a sick tree in the orchard that will both look back and spread the disease to nearby trees. Instead, we need to remove the dead or ailing tree. And we choose a healthy replacement that keeps us within our limit of 24 trees. Sometimes that means planting a new tree or shrub in a different spot—for example, if the original location has disease in the soil or is now too shaded. Sometimes we replace a tree with a different species entirely, since replanting the same type in the same spot can lead to the same problems all over again.

This kind of flexibility is a smart part of long-term orchard care.

Our priority has always been to nurture a beautiful, resilient orchard that serves the community for years to come. We make every decision carefully, in consultation with fruit tree care experts, and with the full intent of protecting the health of our trees and the enjoyment of our visitors.

So if you’ve noticed a new tree where there wasn’t one before, chances are it’s filling in for a tree we lost—never exceeding the original number we committed to.

What’s in the orchard today?

We currently have 24 fruit trees, as outlined in our original planting plan. That number includes apples, plums, apricots, cherries, pears, Asian pears, pawpaws, and serviceberries. We also care for a few shrubs, like hazelnuts and a mulberry, which provide food for pollinators and wildlife.

Our little orchard may change from season to season—but our commitment to responsible stewardship stays the same.

Here is a recent but not fully up to date map of our orchard.