Fruit Pickers
Register as a Fruit Picker Member
Register to be a Fruit Picking Member
For $10 per season, you will can enjoy five fruit picks from June to October. By joining as a Fruit Picker member with Not Far From The Tree, you gain access to a whole other part of Toronto – the city’s huge (often hidden) urban orchard! You’ll have access to various types of fruit – cherries, mulberries, apricots, plums, pears, and more! It’s a great way to spend time outside in lush backyards, meet new people, and gain access to fresh, locally grown fruit in your own neighbourhood.
Frequently asked questions
Picks happen all across Not Far From The Tree’s current operating area in front and backyards. Once you secure a spot on a fruit pick via our online Fruit Picking Portal, you’ll be able to see the address of the fruit pick. The Pick Leader will meet you on site at the indicated start time, and walk you through how to pick. We ask that if you register for a pick, you please commit to attending, or cancel your spot AT LEAST 24 hours in advance.
A great attitude, the willingness to work as a team, and if you have them – your excellent tree climbing skills! Our trained Pick Leaders bring all the equipment you’ll need to the site. We ask that you bring your own reusable bag or container for your share of the fruit, gardening gloves (if you wish to wear them), and wear close-toed shoes. Please keep in mind fruit-picking can get messy (think mulberry stains) – so dress in clothing you might not mind getting dirty. And of course, always bring water and sun protection!
For more information about the pick itself, please review our Fruit Picker Handbook.
Our Pick Leaders are trained volunteers who pick up the fruit picking equipment, bring it to your pick, lead you through the pick, and then deliver 1/3 of the fruit to a local social service agency afterwards. While on site, we ask that you please follow the instructions of the Pick Leader – they always have your safety in mind!
Interested? Learn more about being a Pick Leader
Please note memberships expire on December 31st. If you are looking to renew your membership for the following season, please do so after January 1st. Please avoid registering between November – January, as there are no picks during this time, and your membership will expire before the next season.
No, sorry! Only NFFTT members who successfully signed up for that pick may attend that pick. Please do not bring someone who isn’t one of the five volunteers who have claimed a spot. There are many reasons for this, including fairness and liability.
Pickers need to be 16 or older. Please leave your kiddos at home if they are under 16.
The answer is that you can’t. Our spots are very competitive and we don’t save spaces. One of the best parts of going on a fruit pick is meeting new people!
Our program is extremely popular and every season is different, based on the environment, how many trees are registered, and the unique makeup of membership that year. Spots are limited and registering can be competitive. We do have policies around pick equity and last-minute sign-ups and you can read them here. If you’d like to ensure access to picks, consider signing up as a pick leader.
We recently introduced a pick equity policy to ensure that more people can enjoy our programming. Regular members get first dibs on five picks within the season, assuming there is space. Once you go on five picks, you’ll be able to sign up for picks that have open space within 24 hours or less before the pick starts. (Fear not, this happens often!)
Not Far From The Tree is committed to keeping our Picking Program accessible to everyone. We will waive the membership fee for anyone for whom the membership fee will be a barrier to participation – no questions asked. Contact picks@notfarfromthetree.org to make this request.
