Sara and Giselle standing in front of the newly renovated orchard shed.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:
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!
May has been a busy month for the Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard! Read on to learn about our new native bee study, orchard shed renovation, fruit tree pruning, pollinator garden updates and more in this blog!
Shereen Xavier installs a pollinator nest box in our pollinator garden as part of a research project. Community gardens across the city have gotten involved in this project. Photo credit: OrchardPeople.com.
Entomology Research Study in Action
Our park is buzzing with excitement as we participate in an entomology research study! Researcher Shereen Xavier from the University of Toronto has installed a Pollinator nest box for her research. It’s fascinating to see science in action right in our orchard.
