Stellegacy Farms Harvest 2023

Fall is here, which means we've officially had our final harvest at Stellegacy Farms - over 700# apples, and 400# pears, all organically produced. 

Every apple tree was absolutely FULL of apples, in comparison to only two last year. Our pear harvest was unfortunately meager - only two of nine trees produced - however, it was still promising, as the year before we had zero pears. It goes to show what we are doing is working, and slowly bringing the orchard back to life! 

As I reflect upon the season, here's some of my notes for next year...

1. While a pain in the ass, spraying is vital to orchard health! Organic dormant oil smothers over-wintering bugs after leaf drop in the fall. Copper and Sulphur are necessary fungicides come early spring to eliminate leaf curl, and much more. Stone fruits require a little extra love, especially after petal drop to eliminate fruit rot. Aphids suck, but can be controlled organically with ladybugs and other predators.
2. Thinning is a must - After fruit sets on the tree, it’s important to thin generally to 1 fruit per spur. This allows the tree to focus it’s energy on making spurs for next year, so it doesn’t get into an every other year production calendar. While it may feel like you are thinning too many, I promise you will have plenty of fruit come harvest, and the fruit on the tree will be large and juicy rather than tiny and tart. Apples need to be thinned within 30 days of fruit set, while pears and other fruits you have a little longer timeframe to do so.
3. There is nothing as tasty as a nectarine or peach straight off the tree <3
4. Be patient - you may be tempted to harvest early, but be patient. Some fruits do not ripen post- pick, and must be ripened on the tree. If you pick too early, you risk the fruits of your labor. 
5. Sometimes you just might not get fruit and it might not even be your fault. Sometimes it's temperature related. Sometimes it's pollen. Other times it's bees or who knows? Move on...
6. Codling moths are a thing! This year, during moderate temps, and just after pedal drop, we placed two codling moth spirals in each tree. This is to prevent codling moth infestation in the orchard as they lay eggs and hatch within apples and pears, ruining crop. While we didn't set any traps to monitor the moths, we didn't seem to have any issues in our fruit - yes! Next year I would set traps just to be careful. 
7. Pruning - Oh yea, we pruned around January/February - it was so long ago I nearly forgot! Prune more aggressively next year, maintaining lots of space for free air movement at the inside of the tree. Don't forget to prune A LOT more over the grass so it's easier to mow and not get stabbed in the eye. Prune too much? Don't worry, it will all work out. Always keep your leader. Cherries- look our for fungus sap and cut the limb before it travels!

In total, 2023 Stellegacy Farms yield:

6# Bing Cherries
80# Plums
60# Prunes
700# Honeycrisp Apples
400# Bartlett Pears
60# Peaches
100# White Nectarines
200# and counting Black Krim Heirloom Tomatoes

Not bad for our second year - may 2024 be even more successful as we work to further improve orchard health. While time consuming, we hand spray, thin, prune and harvest - leading to what we believe is a better product, as we

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Kim Hardin