Workshops to make your trees fruitful

Workshops

- Fruit tree pruning workshop, April 10, 2 to 5 p.m.

Learn how to improve your fruit tree's health and maximize organic fruit production by yearly pruning. Also learn how to choose an appropriate fruit tree for your yard.

Instruction by Ken Slingerland, pruning expert for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

- Soils, Fertility and Fruit Trees, May 15, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Thinking of planting a fruit tree in your yard but not sure if the soil is good enough? Or do you have a fruit tree that's struggling and you wonder how to nurture it properly by improving the soil? Topics include what kind of soil suits what kinds of trees, soil fertility, organic matter and amendments and soil ecology, microbiology and how to make it work for you.

Instruction by Norm Herbert, educator and former orchard manager of ED Smith Farms.

- Organic Pest Control for Fruit Trees, May 15, 1:15 to 4 p.m.

Some gardeners use a cocktail of chemicals to protect their fruit trees from pests and disease and to maximize production. In this workshop you'll learn how to enhance tree health and grow fruit using organic methods. Topics include a brief history of past and current behaviors, organic by management versus organic by neglect, the different schools of thought regarding organic pest control, the organic certifier's viewpoint, and some options for disease and pest control and sources of materials.

Instructed by Norm Herbert, educator and former orchard manager of ED Smith Farms.

- How to Choose a Fruit Tree, May 29, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Topics include what varieties, what rootstocks, what tree shape or form to choose, what to look for at the nursery, what can you do when the options are less than perfect, pollination and disease control considerations, and planting your new tree.

Instructed by Norm Herbert, educator and former orchard manager of ED Smith Farms.

- Fruit Tree Grafting, May 29, 1:15 to 4 p.m.

Learn how to graft to create the fruit tree of your dreams. Topics include bud grafting and whip or tongue grafting demonstration, using seedlings for rootstock and how to do it, compatibility issues when grafting multiple varieties on a single tree and scion and rootstock sources.

Instructed by Norm Herbert, educator and former orchard manager of ED Smith Farms.

Susan Poizner is hoping a series of fruit tree care workshops at Ben Nobleman Park will help educate the public on selecting and properly maintaining their trees.

"Last year we held our first pruning workshop and we had 60 requests for 25 spots," said Poizner, co-ordinator of Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard. "We had to turn people away. This year we thought we'd get someone in for a series of workshops."

The workshops, to be held in April and May, will take place in Ben Nobleman Park, across from Eglinton West subway station at Allen Road and Eglinton Avenue.

"A lot of people will go to garden centres, without doing research, plant the tree in the backyard and a few years later realize they don't have fruit," Poizner said. "Or they'll go to a garden centre, buy a peach tree, and realize it's messy, it has bugs and is basically no fun. Peach trees are pretty hard to grow in our area. The workshops are designed to teach people what they are doing wrong, how fruit trees can thrive in the city and how to select them."

The best options for city-grown fruit trees are pear and serviceberry, Poizner said, adding certain crab apple trees also make the cut.

"Pear trees are hardy and OK in cold weather," she said. "Serviceberry trees require minimal maintenance and are great in the backyard."

The workshops, organized by Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard, Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests (LEAF), and Not Far From The Tree, cost $25.

To register, email Lynn at growingforgreen@gmail.com and send in a cheque. All workshops will take place rain or shine.

For information, visit www.communityorchard.ca

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