March Healthy Harvest Habits

A Healthy Harvest is all about ensuring the health and sustainability of Toronto’s Urban Orchard by taking care and being in good relation with fruit trees! 

During the first two months of the year, trees are still in deep winter dormancy. In March, temperatures gradually start to rise, and there’s an increase in daylight, which means it’s time to think about maintenance before your trees produce their new Spring growth! 

Pruning is one of the best things you can do for your fruit tree to optimize the quality and accessibility of its fruit each season. It encourages healthy airflow, and allows you to manage the size of your tree and the direction of its growth. It’s crucial for getting rid of pests and diseases, and making sure they don’t spread to the other trees in your yard!

At this time, your tree will be bare and so it’s easier to get an accurate sense of the branch structure, and also to identify diseased, dead, or damaged branches to remove. Suckers, water shoots, and crossing branches are also easier to see at this time of year, and should be pruned!

As spring sets in, your fruit tree will be able to direct all its stored energy towards the branches you have selected, and will easily recover from its pruning wounds. 

For more information, check out the NFFTT website for updated General Tree Health Resources. There are links to arborist resources as well if DIY pruning isn’t right for you or your tree! 

Looking for in depth information on how to care for fruit trees and grow healthier fruit from a trusted, NFFTT recommended source? 

Tune in to the Orchard People podcast! Join live and submit your questions to an expert guest, or catch the show later on your favorite platform. 

To keep learning, join home growers, arborists and small scale orchardists from across North America and around the world in 5-star-rated organic fruit tree care education with Orchard People’s interactive, instant access courses. 
Find courses like: Certificate in Fruit Tree Care; Fruit Tree Pruning Masterclass; Managing Fruit Tree Pests & Disease; Soil Essentials for Fruit Trees; and so many more!

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