December Healthy Harvest Habits

In a month full of holidays and (hopefully) more focused time on rest and rejuvenation, December is a time to slow down, learn, and grow our relationship to land and urban fruit trees.

Read on for Not Far From The Tree’s recommendations!

Place Based Learning

A Garden for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee

Creating Habitat Gardens for Native Pollinators (Ontario and Great Lakes Edition)

by Lorraine Johnson & Sheila Colla

The Serviceberry

Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World

by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Messy Cities

Why We Can’t Plan Everything

edited by Dylan Reid, Zahra Ebrahim, Leslie Woo, and John Lorinc

Supporting Gardens and Fruit Trees

Biodiversity in the City Booklet Series

Helps re-connect people with the natural world, and raises awareness of the seriousness that biodiversity loss represents and how it affects them directly. Find copies at the Toronto Public Library (or in PDF format)!

The Fruitful City

The Enduring Power of the Urban Food Forest

by Helena Moncrieff

Growing Urban Orchards

How to Care for Fruit Trees in The City and Beyond

by Susan Poizner

Growing Connection

Toronto Nature Stewards

Join other nature restoration volunteers passionate about building urban ecosystems that are self-sustaining. Spread over 49 sites, volunteers remove harmful plants, plant native species, remove trash, and educate others in their community about natural ecosystems.

Project Swallowtail

Mobilizes the power of people to help pollinators through the simple act of gardening. By planting native flowers in back yards, balconies, parks, boulevards and window boxes, residents of Toronto can help make this city a friendlier place for pollinators!

Explore NFFTT’s Resources

Fruit Ripening and Picking Guides

Get to know the fruit you have a relationship to a bit better through our fruit guides. Learn more about the ripening timeline, ripeness indicators, picking tips, and ideas on storing and eating!

Fruit Tree Care Guides

Spend some time learning about how to prune and care for fruit trees you have a relationship to through our tree care guides!

Healthy Harvest

Healthy Harvest is our monthly guide to caring for and being in good relation with fruit trees. We share this knowledge to empower Torontonians to contribute to a healthy, vibrant and sustainable Urban Orchard!


Looking for more information on caring for fruit trees and growing fruit from a recommended source? 

Join Not Far From The Tree, 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!

Or, 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. 

Watch the live video on the Orchard People YouTube page at 1:00 PM on Tuesday and watch the recorded video on the YouTube Video Podcast Playlist.

Listen on RealityRadio101 at 1:00 PM on Tuesday and download the audio podcast after the show.

Further Reading

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