Bartram’s Garden Orchard Work Day

With the Philadelphia Orchard Project, POP, I worked at Bartram’s Garden to maintain the land. Bartram’s Garden is a 45-acre National Historic Landmark, located in West Philadelphia, operated by the John Bartram Association in cooperation with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation. Bartram’s Gardens is this city’s most diverse community orchard with over 130 fruit and nut trees. When I first arrived at the park, at 9:30, I had to walk down a long road and down a hill to meet with the other event participants. The walk was so pretty and scenic, so I gained excitement to be in this beautiful park for the morning. I eventually reached the bottom of the hill and signed in at the table. Next, we were divided based on the work that needed to be done and were given jobs in the Bartram’s Gardens orchards. I grabbed a pair of gloves and pruners, and I got to work. In the beginning of my volunteering experience, I had the job of collecting sticks on the ground around the cherry blossom trees. Along with that, I had to make sure they were cut into reasonable lengths. This made them easier to be handled and transported. Other people were pruning tree branches, so I had to make sure the ground around the base of the trees remained clean. This increases the aesthetic of the park for visitors and gives the trees the best environment to grow in. This relates to discussions in class about the importance of caring for the land we inhabit, especially in urban areas. These ideals are represented through the concept of civic ecology. We learned about civic ecology through the words of Marianne Krasny, who studies at the Civil Ecology Lab at Cornell University, when she stated: “Humans do not act solely as an external, or even an evil force to destroy nature. Rather we are part of nature, and in coming together to heal our local environments, we also heal out communities and ourselves”. Being a volunteer with POP enables me to help facilitate the environment with fellow citizens in the city of Philadelphia. These ideas encouraged me to talk with the others at the event to learn more about the program and orchards. I met Kim Jordan, the POP development manager, who told me about her personal involvement with the Philadelphia Orchard Project. She explained to me how the organization got involved with the Bartram’s Gardens and her personal work with the other members. Our conversation got cut short since we then had a 10-minute break around 11.

Down where the sign-in table was, POP supplied us with waters and snacks. This extra time allowed me to roam around the environment. With a water bottle and a breakfast bar, I noticed beautiful aspects of the park and talked with the other volunteers about their reason for service with POP. One volunteer was saying how, even though he already graduated from college, he was inspired by his old roommate to visit the orchards and help out. The break went by quickly, and it was back to work. With the group I was working with, we moved on to maintaining the blackberry bushes. Once again, I grabbed my pruners and gloves and headed towards the bushes. Our job was to prune away all the dead twigs to help the new growth. Pruning berry bushes is very important since it promotes more berries to grow on the plant. Also, it helps to fight against possible diseases that can spread. I found this part to be extra difficult because there are tiny thorns all over the blackberry bush. This made me hyper focus on exactly where I was cutting and grabbing from. After pruning, we had to clear out all the twigs and sticks cut from the plants. I did this until the end of the volunteering event at 12.

This experience gave me a new perspective on the labor needed to start and maintain a thriving green space. Getting my own hands dirty with gardening makes me appreciate all the hard work organizations, like POP, do all the time. This got me thinking about when we learned about Greenworks Philadelphiain class. Greenworks Philadelphiawas set in place by Mayor Nutter since he wanted to make Philadelphia a green, efficient city with honest, hard work. The Greenworks Philadelphia’sprogram book states how, “becoming environmentally smarter is not a choice but an imperative… we know that someday soon, through our efforts, the workshop of the world will be transformed into the greenest city in America”. Volunteering with POP gave me the needed resources to contribute to the upkeep and sustainability of this city. This was actually my first experience with agriculture volunteering, so I was anxious and overwhelmed at first, but POP made me feel very welcomed. No matter how big or small, I am helping to make a positive difference to the land around me – and that’s a great feeling. Even if it was just some pruning and cleanup of local orchards, I am aiding in the overall wellbeing of my city.