Register a Tree
Tree Registrants play an integral role in allowing us to access fruit and build relationships with trees all over Toronto!
If you have a fruit tree that produces more than you can use, we can send over a team of fruit pickers to harvest your tree, and split the harvest three ways – ⅓ is offered to you, ⅓ is shared amongst the volunteers, and ⅓ is delivered to a social service agency in your community.
By sharing your bounty with NFFTT, you make an impact directly in your community. Your yard becomes a hotbed for connection, bringing people from all walks of life together to enjoy the bounty!
To grow and sustain Toronto’s fruit harvest, we ask Tree Registrants to become a member and contribute a minimum of $40 per harvest to support the costs of harvesting, and allow for program growth.
To begin, sign up on our online portal and provide us with some basic information about your fruit tree(s).
* please note…
While we try our best to pick all the fruit we can in Toronto’s urban orchard, we are also a small organization whose harvests are conducted by community volunteers. On top of that, our work is dictated by the variabilities and unpredictability of nature! We may not be able to pick your fruit if…
- It is a fruit we cannot pick such as gingko, or mouldy/overripe fruit
- Your fruit tree is unhealthy, with an abundance of codling moth damage, visible frass, or fire blight
- We are not tall or long enough to reach the remaining fruit in your tree
- There are too many hazards surrounding your tree
- The weather affects the pick and compromises the safety of our volunteers (heavy rain, strong wind, lightning, high heat, and/or air quality)
Guide to Registering a Fruit Tree
Jump to:
Step 1: Prior to requesting a Pick
- Have a relationship with a fruit tree – as a property owner, resident, or tenant with landlord permission
- Check to make sure you’re within our operating boundaries: south of Eglinton, east of Jane, west of Victoria Park, and north of the waterfront; as well, in Etobicoke (Royal York, The Gardiner and Dundas) and Scarborough (Birchmount, St. Clair East, to the Bluffs)
- Register your tree in our Portal
Step 2: Request a Pick
- Keep an eye on your fruit tree to watch for ripening signs. About 2-3 weeks before your fruit is ripe, request a Pick through the Portal
- An available Pick Leader will get in touch to gather more information and schedule a Pick!
Step 3: After your Pick has been scheduled, and before it starts
- Keep in touch with your Pick Leader for any fruit ripening updates, alerting them to any changes needed, including cancellations
- Clean up the area surrounding the fruit tree: watch for any wasp nests, ensure all animal waste is removed, all hazards are cleared (ie. children’s toys, broken furniture)
- Secure access to a safe ladder (borrowing from a neighbor is great), acknowledging that without a ladder, NFFTT may only be able to pick so much
- Put out a green bin or yard waste bag for any fallen fruit
- Provide a bowl or bag for your share of the bounty
Step 4: During the Pick
- You can be home…or not! NFFTT takes care to leave your tree and surrounding area as we find it
- Please note that the small team will pick anywhere from 1-3 hours (normally, 2 hours), depending on the amount of fruit, the weather, and the size of the team
Step 5: After the Pick
- Enjoy your share of the fruit!
- You will receive an automatic “Post-Pick” email, submitted by the Pick Leader, including how many lbs of fruit were picked and where they were donated
- You will be charged the $40 membership fee after a successful Pick – if we are unable to pick*, you won’t be charged
- Please keep in touch with us if your fruit has a second wave of ripeness (we’re looking at you, mulberries) and need to request another Pick