The Giving Grove is ready for a visit from your family! The grove is located behind the Civic Center. The trees were planted by Kansas City Community Gardens. Its mission is to help communities in the Kansas City metro area by planting edible trees on vacant land. The trees are treated with natural pesticides.
Arborist Brian Cook maintains the trees year-round with the help of volunteers. He says the Winecrisp and Enterprise apples are ready to be picked. Picking the trees is free, but we do ask that you leave some for others.
Brian's tips for picking:
- Both Enterprise and Winecrisp apples are bright red when they're ready.
- When picking the apples, grab the fruit and turn it quickly. It should come off easily. Pulling down can damage the bud for next year.
- Be sure to pick off the correct trees. We would have a third tree ready for harvest, however, it was picked too early and none of the fruits are left.
- Trees have tags with the name and harvest instructions. It tells you when the tree is ready and what the ripe fruit looks like.
The Giving Grove thrives in our community because of volunteers. Throughout the year, volunteers prune, fertilize and maintain the trees so they will produce fruit again the next year. After this harvest, the Giving Grove will need volunteers to prune the branches, spray with a holistic spray and remove the decomposed leaves and fruit to keep pests away. Over the winter, the trees will need more mulch. If you are interested in volunteering, email publicworks@springhillks.gov.