On April 15, 2023, Shine City Project volunteered at Ahern Orchard! Only a mile away from the casinos of Downtown, Ahern Orchard is located on land that once belonged to Las Vegas's earliest Korean immigrants. In the 1930s and 1940s, Korean immigrant Frank Kim and his Hispanic wife, Juanita Sanchez, owned and operated what was called the Kim Produce Farm. On their 20-acre farm, from the poor desert soil, they were able to successfully grow melons, tomatoes, and onions that supported the local community. Their son, Frank Kim, Jr., worked on the farm during his youth, and later became a well-respected member of the Las Vegas Police Department for over 30 years.
Today, this area of land has become Ahern Orchard. Breaking ground in February 2016, Ahern Orchard was started by Lloyd Benson of Ahern Rentals. Ahern Orchard currently has 3,200 plants and fruit trees which cover an area of ten acres. Some of the fruits that can be found there include peaches, apples, European and Asian pears, figs, pomegranates, and grapes, as well as hybrids such as pluots, plumcots, apriums! All fruits that are grown at Ahern Orchard are donated to local organizations and charities supporting food-insecure families and individuals in Las Vegas.
On this Saturday morning, our Shine City Project team was guided by Peacho, a worker who helps oversee operations at Ahern Orchard. Our task for the morning was to help thin several rows of apricot trees. Thinning fruit trees is the process of selectively removing fruit from the branches while they are still small so that the ones remaining can ripen and grow to a larger size. When thinning is not performed, the size of the fruit at maturity will be limited. Though some thinning may occur naturally by strong winds and birds, it's usually not enough. Thinning fruit trees have the additional benefits of preventing limb damage from excess weight, preventing fruit from dropping to the ground too early, improving sun and air circulation, as well as preventing the tree from being too exhausted to bear fruit in the next year, known as biennial bearing.
To help out with the task, our Shine City Project team had eleven volunteers! Two were joining us for the first time! To thin out the apricot trees, we broke up clusters of fruit so that only one remained. In between the remaining apricots, we left a space of about six or so inches. At the end, only about one-third or one-fourth of the fruit remained on the trees. Though the task seemed destructive and trivial, in actuality, it's beneficial for both the fruit and the overall health of the tree. We hope that in the coming months, our apricots can grow well!
