It’s been a vigorous season at your Santa Cruz Community Orchard. The time has come to tuck in the trees for the winter, and prepare for an ever more fertile 2019 with a spirited round of autumn orchard maintenance.

On this community workday, we will clean up some of the excess of the growing season, build soil fertility with compost dressings and cover crop sowings, amend and prepare planting sites for additional subtropical fruit plantings in the spring, plant out more flowering orchard companion species, and re-mulch the orchard site. You’ll have the opportunity to exchange knowledge with experienced local gardeners, and benefit our downtown neighborhoods in doing so. Regardless of physical capabilities, all folks are heartily encouraged to come be a part of the Community Orchard, and participate however they see fit.

Huge thanks as always to City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation for enabling this project, and to Lewis Tree Service, Inc. for their enthusiastic supply of mulch.