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Orchard Outlook: Pumpkins

Posted by :Julia Prince On : August 31, 2018
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It’s still warm out, but we’ve got pumpkins on the brain! Farmer Henry’s here to teach us about the gourds we grow here at Chiles Peach Orchard.

For about the last five years, we’ve been planting our pumpkins no-till. That means we can plant our pumpkins without having to disc and rotovate up the soil, which reduces our risk of erosion and runoff. Instead of breaking up the soil, we’re planting right into green matter that’s on the ground. This method allows us to improve our soil profile, or soil health, by adding organic matter every season. This particular season, we’ve had plenty of rain and haven’t had to run our irrigation much. Everything is growing well and we’ve got healthy plants.

Hand holding growing decorative gourd

Of course, we don’t have only basic orange pumpkins. We have a variety, including these decorative gourds that have just recently been pollinated and are beginning to grow. These will triple or quadruple in size before harvest.

Growing apple gourd

This is an apple gourd. Though they resemble their namesake in shape, they will grow much larger than an average apple.

Snowball Pumpkin on vine

Snowball is one particular variety of pumpkin that we’ve enjoyed growing. Snowballs are a one- to three-pound white pumpkin and are great for decorating!

If all goes according to plan, we’ll open the pumpkin patch September 22–23 in conjunction with our Fall Into Fun Festival. We’re on track to have a great year for pumpkins. Remember to follow us on Twitter (@ChilesPeachOrch) for daily picking updates!

Orchard Outlook: Veggies

Posted by :Julia Prince On : July 3, 2018
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About three years ago, enough customers requested locally grown produce that we decided to start a vegetable garden. This summer, we’re harvesting squash, zucchini, sweet corn, green beans, tomatoes, and bell peppers. Henry Chiles gives us the outside scoop on each plant’s progress. Keep up in real time at @ChilesPeachOrch on Twitter! #WhatsPickingCPO

How Does Your Garden Grow?

We use black plastic mulch in our veggie garden to help reduce the pressure of weeds—you know, garden bad guys who compete with the good guys for nutrients and water. The plastic mulch allows us to cut down on weeds.

Zucchini Plant

Summer Squash

Both yellow squash and zucchini are fast growers with flowering ends. The blooms open in the morning, but close in the heat of the day (we understand). The fruit develops as the bloom eventually shrivels.

Sweet corn plant

Sweet Corn

We planted our corn in two-week intervals  so that we’ll always have new, fresh produce. Sweet corn will be available from mid-July to late August.

Green Bean plant

Green Beans

Our green beans took a hit during the extra-rainy month of March, but flower buds are starting to form on our new plants and we anticipate a healthy crop of four- to six-inch beans.

Tomato plant

Tomatoes

No need to plant tomatoes in stages—they flower and develop at different times, even on the same plant. On a single plant, you can see baby blooms and not-quite-open blooms, tomatoes beginning to set, and advanced blooms with large fruit. Tomatoes will be available through mid August.

Bell Pepper plant

Bell Peppers

Did you know that red bell peppers are just mature green peppers? Our green bell peppers are about at full maturity and market-ready, but we’ll leave plenty to ripen in to red bell peppers for later in the summer.

 

 

Orchard Outlook: Peaches

Posted by :Franziska Matiuk On : June 14, 2018
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Pretty as a Peach

It’s been a rainy spring, but drier weather and juicy peaches are just around the corner here at the orchard. The first peaches of the season are already coloring up nicely and will be ready for picking any day now—and we’ll have a variety of peaches available all summer, all the way through Labor Day. Peach picking or not, the orchard is looking beautiful!

Be sure to follow us on Twitter @ChilesPeachOrch for the latest orchard updates (#whatspickingCPO).

Ripe peach at Chiles Peach Orchard

The What’s-What

Clingstone peaches are just what they sound like: peaches that “cling” to their pits. These peaches are often used for pickling, but they are delicious no matter how you slice ‘em. These peaches are already ripening up for picking.

Freestone peaches, or peaches with flesh that separates easily from the stone, ripen later in the summer, and are easier to work with for canning and freezing.

Get the low-down how to pick the perfect peach on our Learn About Peaches page!

Henry Chiles shows ripe vs unripe peaches

Sweet Summer Events

Need another reason to c’mon out? Our Come Grow With Us series, every Tuesday and Wednesday, is a great way to get young ones outside and cultivating curiosity. Or, bring the whole family to our weekly pancake breakfasts, complete with fresh-from-the-orchard fruit!

Peach ripening on tree in Crozet VA

This peach is still ripening, but will be a juicy treat later this summer!

Orchard Outlook: Strawberries

Posted by :Julia Prince On : April 30, 2018
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5/8/18 Update: Strawberries are now in season! We anticipate that strawberries will be available until early June.

April Showers…

It’s a very exciting month here at Chiles Peach Orchard: April. Our plants are beginning to blossom and so is the promise of juicy fruit and summer days. Peaches have just finished blooming, cherry trees are at peak prettiness, and our apples are just beginning. We anticipate starting strawberry season the second week of May, depending on the weather between now and then. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @ChilesPeachOrch for the latest picking updates (#whatspickingCPO).

cherry blossoms at Chiles Peach Orchard

Life of a Strawberry Plant

Our patch is currently covered to protect it from chilly nights, but the plants are strong and healthy under the tarp! This big blanket keeps the heat in and prevents frost from settling on the plants. You can tell things are going well because the leaves are vibrantly green and have a lot of growth. In some spots, the petals have already fallen and little strawberries are starting to form. Once the fruit blooms, it takes about 30 days to ripen into the perfect strawberry, so we are getting close!
Strawberry plant flowering

Ready to Pick?

Once the patch is ready for pickers, you’ll want to look for berries that are red all the way to the tip. Did you know that strawberries don’t ripen after they are picked? That’s right—a green strawberry will stay green when you take it home, so hold out for those gorgeous red strawberries. For tips on how to pluck strawberries from the plants without damaging them, see our how-to guide.

Pick-Your-Own Pumpkins Now in Season

Posted by :Julia Prince On : September 25, 2017
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You read that right! Pumpkins are now pickable at Chiles Peach Orchard. We’ve got all types of pumpkins and fall gourds just waiting for you in our pumpkin patch.

Find that perfect jack-o-lantern pumpkin you’ve been searching for, or round up ingredients for a new recipe or craft.

Don’t worry—we still have plenty of apples in our orchard! Check our fruit availability chart to see what’s on hand.

Pumpkin patch at Chiles Peach Orchard

Pick-Your-Own Apples Now in Season

Posted by :Julia Prince On : September 5, 2017
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It’s hard to believe that summer is already over. It’s not all sad, though. In fact, fall is one of our favorite seasons here at Chiles Peach Orchard, because it means pick-your-own apples are here! We also have two of our favorite events: the 4th Annual Pancake 5k and 6th Annual Fall Into Fun Festival.

Fall weather makes for a perfect trip out to the orchard. Bring your family, friends, or even a date for a unique and memorable outing. Want to stretch your day trip into a weekend? We believe in making fun last, so check out our recommendations for what to do in Crozet.

Of course, we understand if you’re just raring for some apples. We get that feeling too! Be sure and check our fruit availability guide if you’re on the hunt for a specific fruit variety…but don’t worry, our cider donuts and tasting rooms are always in season.

Pick-Your-Own Apples Are Here

Posted by :Julia Prince On : September 5, 2017
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We’ve had a peachy summer at Carter Mountain, but it’s time to turn our attention to fall’s bounty: apples are ready to for picking!

If you’ve got your eye on a specific recipe, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates on apple variety availability. If you’re just looking for fresh air, gorgeous views, and maybe a little booze, every day’s a good day to c’mon out to the orchard! Or, mark your calendar for Johnny Appleseed’s 243rd birthday and pick apples like it’s the 18th century.

Make a day of it and have lunch at our Mountain Grill, which is open daily for farm-to-table dining. Don’t go home without our famous apple cider donuts (it’s OK, you’re having fruit too!).

Ready-picked peaches will continue to be available for purchase, along with certain apple varieties, for a bit longer.

See you on the mountain!

Goodbye, Strawberries—It’s Peach Season

Posted by :Julia Prince On : June 30, 2017
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Goodbye, Strawberries

One of the longest strawberry seasons in recent history has drawn to a close. The berry fields have been picked bare, their fruit gone into jams, pies, and children’s snack packs. There’s nothing like a red, ripe strawberry and we can’t wait to welcome berry-lovers back to the orchard for new year’s crop of pick-your-own strawberries next May.

What was your favorite strawberry season memory? Share your story with us and our community of “outsiders”!

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Hello, Peaches

Strawberries have had their day in the sun, which can only mean one thing—it’s peach season! The peach trees are loaded with pounds upon pounds of fresh, juicy peaches (Seriously, how do the tree limbs support so much delicious fruit?).

Pick-your-own peach season typically runs mid-June through mid-September. See our fruit availability calendar for a full schedule of pick-your-own availability, and follow us on Twitter for daily weather and picking updates, #whatspickingCPO.

Donut and white peaches won’t be the only stone fruit filling the farm market this summer: ready-picked nectarines will also be available.

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Can’t Wait to See You, Vegetables and Flowers

An exciting new venture, pick-your-own vegetables, and flowers will start sometime in July. Eat farm fresh with pick-your-own and ready-picked squash, zucchini, cucumbers, green beans, and tomatoes throughout the summer.

We dare you not to smile when presented with a colorful bouquet of our flowers. Flower varieties will vary over the next several months, with sunflowers and zinnias available throughout.

Summer is nearly upon us, and with it comes a bountiful harvest of fruit, flowers, and fun. See you at the orchard, outsiders!

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We’re cherried out!

Posted by :Franziska Matiuk On : June 19, 2017
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2017 Cherry Season Has Come to a Close

This past Sunday—June 18, 2017—marked the last day of a successful cherry season. This year we opened on May 26, giving us almost 3 sweet weeks of picking. Every year, picking season is a little different—last year, we opened for just one weekend. You can imagine our excitement for a plentiful harvest this time around!

Cheryl G. shared this review on Google:

“Lovely place to spend an afternoon, it’s off the beaten track but the scenery is breathtaking and the fruit is delicious! Sure, it might be a little more expensive than buying cherries at the grocery store but the taste is unparalleled and the location is so serene. There are some smaller trees so the little ones can also pick their own and portapotties on site. There are some lovely places to stop off nearby in Nelson County and make a day trip of it. Highly recommend making the trip out here. Also recommend buying more cherries than you think you need as you’ll find yourself eating handfuls all the time, they’re that good!”

So, thanks to everyone who came out! Keep scrolling for a few of the MANY wonderful photos that you posted to Instagram!

If you weren’t able to make it to Spring Valley, be sure and visit our sister orchards Chiles Peach Orchard and Carter Mountain Orchard for fresh fruit and fun.

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Open for Pick-your-own Cherries on May 26

Posted by :Julia Prince On : May 25, 2017
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We are thrilled to announce that Spring Valley Orchard will open for a short and sweet cherry season on Friday, May 26.

Pick ’em while they’re here—we anticipate sweet cherry season will last through approximately June 15. Picking availability is weather dependent, so check our Facebook page for picking updates before planning your visit. We are open Monday through Friday 10AM-5PM and Saturday and Sunday 9AM-5PM.

Sweet cherries are priced per pound. The orchard provides plastic bags for picking, although guests are welcome to bring their own containers.

See you outside!

Chiles Family Orchards ©2025
P.O. Box 229
Batesville, VA 22924
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