Strawberries - Coming Soon!

Okay, we are going to give this blog thing a try again!

Ahh, spring!  It’s been such a long winter, and such a cool spring.  But what a gorgeous day today! It’s May 1^st, the sun is out for the first time in 4 days, and it’s our first day open for this season!  What’s not to be happy about?

Typically, our strawberry plants are bursting with ripe fruit by now.  However, Mother Nature had a different idea this year.  Yes, the strawberries will eventually come.  In farming, patience is mandatory.  Instant gratification isn’t part of the equation.  The rewards of patience, however, are sweet (literally, in this case!).  The plants are healthy and have lots of blossoms.  Now that the rain has stopped, we need a lot of warm, sunny days to dry the fields and help the berries grow and ripen.

We can’t wait to see what Mother Nature (and a lot of hard work) bless us with this season!

Spring is in the Air!

The first day of Spring is in 4 more days, and we are already feeling it here! With temperatures predicted to be in the 70s by this weekend (overnights in the 30s and 40s), things will be really hopping in the orchards!

Though delayed some by all the snow this winter, our pruning is on schedule, and the trees have been trimmed up and are ready for a good year's growth. The warm temperatures the past few days have really caused the buds to swell up. We predict that the peach trees will be in bloom in the next 7-10 days. I'll be sure to post pictures, because it's an incredible sight!

Most of the strawberry plants have been uncovered so they can take advantage of the warm sun. They look good and healthy right now, and if everything is on schedule, we should be picking the first berries in early May. We can't wait!

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Well, it's Winter!

Wow, what a winter! For the first time in several years, we've had appreciable precipitation. We're grateful for it - and will really be glad about it this summer, when things heat up and the trees really need that deep ground water. Our peach, apple, and cherry trees are in their dormant period right now, which is very important to fruit production. So far, things are on track!

Our strawberry plants are covered up for the winter - they were planted last fall, and are now growing happily under cover. As spring develops and the daytime (and nighttime) temperatures are warmer, we'll uncover them to expose them to the sun.

Out in the orchard, we're in the process of pruning the apple trees. This must be done each winter, for the health of the tree and maximum production. Thinning of peach trees will start in a few weeks, past this coldest time of year. Inside, things are quiet in the market, but we are doing lots of planning, purchasing, repair and maintenance, and catch-up work. We're enjoying the winter time, and looking forward to spring!

Homemade Peach Ice Cream

Hope you made it out to the orchard this weekend. The ladies of the Albemarle/Charlottesville Pilot Club once again outdid themselves with some delicious homemade peach ice cream! It's a win-win-win - Chiles Peach Orchard donates the peaches, the ladies of the Pilot Club make and sell the ice cream to fund their community service projects, and our customers come out in droves to enjoy this amazing treat! They made 70 gallons of ice cream this year, and sold out by the end of the weekend!

Peach season is in full swing now, with gorgeous freestone peaches available for picking or buying ready-picked. We'll have peaches a few more weeks, so come on out. Thanks for helping make it a great summer here at Chiles Peach Orchard!

Peach Season in Full Swing

It's been a great couple of weeks of peach picking! Wonderful weather (warm, not humid), a couple of good rains, and a fantastic crop so far. We've had some terrific folks visiting us this summer!

There are still lots of wonderful peaches to pick, and we'll be picking for several more weeks! We're still in clingstone peaches; freestones will be ripe by late July and early August.

We've got some great gift items and local crafts in our farm market - if you haven't shopped with us lately, come on by!

Pick Your Own Peaches

Peach Season is upon us! We are picking Sentry, a delicious yellow cling-stone peach. Freestones will ripen in late July.

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