Today was Mulching Day at the Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard with 9 dedicated volunteers coming together to care for our fruit trees and pollinator garden.
The day began with the delivery of composted duck manure from Speelmans Garden Centre. Gail was on site bright and early to coordinate the delivery, ensuring that the four yards of compost were dropped off to two different locations in the park.
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We’re all at the mercy of Mother Nature when it comes to fruit growing, and this year, she handed us a tough lesson. Last week, our diligent volunteer Rael gave me a heads-up about a frost forecast for the night of April 24, 2024, with temperatures expected to hit 0°C. I thought that our apricot blossoms could handle anything above -2°C. Turns out, I was wrong.
A few years back, we dodged a similar bullet by covering our apricot trees with tarps during a frost, and we enjoyed a bountiful harvest. Confident from past success, I decided not to cover the trees this time. That was a mistake. By Wednesday night, the temperature dipped to 0°C. The next morning, what we found was heartbreaking: our beautiful apricot blossoms had turned into a mushy mess. You can see the devastation for yourself in the photos above.
When it comes to fruit trees, dead blossoms = no fruit harvest this year. This deepens our appreciation for the challenges that professional growers face every season. For those looking to learn more about how frost affects fruit trees, be sure to check out this article on fruit trees and frost.
The blossoming plum trees did survive the frost. And let’s hope the trees that will soon blossom (apples, Asian pears, cherries) will be able to thrive without another frost even later in the spring.
Stay tuned and stay hopeful! And come and join us in the orchard. To volunteer send an email to growingforgreen (at) gmail.com.
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.
It was a bit chilly today, but that doesn’t stop the rugged and hardy volunteers of the Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard! We kept warm by doing a spring cleanup on our pollinator garden. Participants included Gail (who opened up the shed) Eleanor, Giselle, Rael, Susan and Annie.
Jobs included removing dead plant material from last year, removing cherry suckers, pruning the dogwood bushes etc. Lots of plants are popping up already including Autumn Joy sedums, Zizia, Cardinal flower etc.
Today is also the day of the free bike tuneup booth (Thank you GoDutch Bikes) and free orchard tours! Sara and Ellie will be your tour guides! They will show you our fruit trees and share the secrets of how we care for them! Tours happen at 11.30, 12.30 and 1.30.
It’s so fun to be outside and see my buddies. I missed this over the winter. Will you come to join us next time? Email us at growingforgreen (at) gmail.com to join our group. See you in the park!
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.