September Healthy Harvest Habits

Harvest season is in full swing this month, as Toronto celebrates Urban Agriculture Week every September – we hope you’re checking out an event or two!

Summer is definitely fading away, as days are getting shorter, and temperatures have cooled. By the end of September, most of the NFFTT fruit trees will have had their fruit picked, and everyone is gearing down for the end of the season.

Tree growth is slowing too now as trees prepare for winter dormancy, so the major outside task is continuing to clean up fallen fruit, if there is any left. If your tree’s fruit is already gone, now is a great time to reflect on how healthy your tree was, and to think of steps to take to improve health for next summer.

In September, Healthy Harvest Habits can include:

Continuing to remove any fallen and infected fruit around the tree. Make this a weekly habit until the end of the season!

Dispose of all fruit by placing it in a plastic bag in the garbage, not compost or organic waste.

If you have a fruit tree registered with Not Far From The Tree, make note of the following:

When did your fruit tree go into blossom?

When was your fruit ripe?

How much fruit was picked?

Did the Pick Leader leave notes about your tree or fruit health?

Reflect on those details. What next steps can you take to improve the fruit tree’s health for 2026?

Maybe you want to get to know the fruit you have a relationship to a bit better through our fruit guides. Or maybe you want to spend some time learning about how to prune and care for the tree through our tree care guides!