Happy Spring from all of us at Westward Orchards! The longer days recent warm temps have really kicked things into gear around here. It’s always exciting to see things come alive and watch the orchards and fields become green again.
Like many local fruit growers, we also have lost our peach, nectarine and plum crops due to the hard freeze event in early February. While we are fortunate to have crop insurance to help with a portion of the revenue loss, we are anticipating the trickle down effects of no stone fruit on our farm store like we saw the last time this happened in 2016. On a positive note, all the hard work we have put into diversifying our crop offerings pays off in situations like this. While there is nothing like a locally grown summer peach, we will have other #westwardgrown harvests to offer our customers and CSA members.
This past Wednesday we welcomed two of our Westward team members, Dunkley & Tibby, back from Jamaica. While we have been tackling various farm tasks and projects over the winter months, their arrival marks the official start of our 2023 season. Over the coming weeks we’ll be wrapping up some orchard maintenance, preparing fields and begin planting this season’s crops. In addition we’ll be meeting one of our long range goals of diversifying our perennial crop portfolio at our “home farm” property on Oak Hill Rd by adding 200 blueberry bushes, and a patch of assorted rhubarb varieties.
We hope everyone is well and enjoying all that spring has to offer!
