Each year, the Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard team dedicates an average of about 270 volunteer hours to the park. We care for the fruit trees (pruning, fertilizing, protecting them from pests and diseases) and the beautiful pollinator garden.

But this year has been amazing. We now have a larger team including new volunteers and we’ve been able to do so much more including renovating an overgrown dogwood bed. So far this year we have devoted over 375 volunteer hours to caring for Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard.

A few years ago we raised money to build a new notice board in Ben Nobleman Park to tell park visitors about our project and give notice of upcoming events. The funding came from The Canadian Tree Fund and we were so happy with the results.

But in 2021, two volunteers took our bulletin board to another level. Volunteers Jane and her uncle Jeff are currently painting a mural on the board that celebrates the nature and wildlife that we in Ben Nobleman Park are working to preserve and protect.

Tools are important for the volunteers of the Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard. We use hand pruners and loppers to prune our fruit trees annually. Correct annual fruit tree pruning improves tree health and the quality of our harvest.

We also use our tools for trimming shrubs and deadheading the plants in our pollinator garden. So our tools need to be sharp, clean and in excellent condition. That’s why each year we gather for our tool sharpening day. And this year we had a special guest: Our local MPP Jill Andrew came to help us!