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Orchard Outlook: Strawberries

Posted by :Julia Prince On : April 25, 2019
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4/30/19 Update: Strawberries are now in season!

Here’s a peek at the orchard goings-on to prepare for strawberry picking season.

Protecting the Strawberries from the Cold

When temperatures drop in the winter, strawberries bundle up. The plants stay under covers for a good part of the winter to help protect them from the cold weather.

Even with these precautions, some plants do get eaten by the frost. To tell which plants suffered from frost damage, look for a black center in the strawberry. The blooms are still pretty but, unfortunately, they will not become strawberries.

Strawberry plant damaged by frost

The black center indicates frost damage; this bloom won’t become a strawberry.

From Blooms to Berries: The Strawberry’s Life Cycle

Take a walk in the strawberry patch in April and you’ll see berries at the beginning stages of the growing cycle: just starting to bloom out, in full bloom, and some plants where the petals are dropping off and a baby berry is starting to form.

Typically, a nice white bloom is 30 days from becoming a red, ripe strawberry. If the weather cooperates, that is!

Healthy strawberry plant

These healthy white blooms are about 30 days away from becoming a ripe strawberry.

Young strawberry plant

The petals have dropped off and a baby berry is starting to form.

Stay tuned for strawberry picking updates. If Mother Nature is on our side, we’ll begin picking strawberries at the end of April or beginning of May this year. For the latest picking updates, follow us on Twitter @ChilesPeachOrch and check #whatspickingCPO.

Under the new pavilion at Chiles Peach Orchard

Our new pavilion offers shade on a hot day and will also serve as a covered event space.

Come enjoy our new pavilion

If you drove by the orchard this winter, you might’ve wondered what all the activity was. (We’re not bears, we don’t hibernate during the winter—we work!) We’re excited to invite visitors to enjoy the shade under our new pavilion. The pavilion will get the most use during events; we’re especially looking forward to the Orchard Jams series on Friday evenings through the end of September.

If you have general questions about farm life or orchard crops, let us know! We’ll address as many as we can during this season’s orchard outlook videos.

Farm market, tasting rooms, cover pavilion, and fire pit at Chiles Peach Orchard in Crozet, VA

The perfect space for an outdoor gathering!

Orchard Jams, free music at Chiles Peach Orchard

Orchard Outlook: Apples

Posted by :Julia Prince On : September 1, 2018
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We love fall at the orchard! Farmer Henry’s got the outside scoop on how our favorite fall fruit is developing. We’re expecting a great crop this year for all 9 of our varieties. Apples are already starting to reach mature size and color.

Golden Delicious orchard

Our Golden Delicious apples still have a bit of growing to do but should be available in October.

Farmer Henry picking a green apple from a tree

When visiting the farm, please be mindful of the trees. The branches are not always strong, but a broken branch means loss for both us and future customers. Keep a special eye on kids, who may be eager to grab fruit that’s not ready yet. Even if you’re a frequent customer (for which we are very grateful!), check in with our staff upon arrival so that they can point you to the ripest fruit and best experience at the farm.

Before you visit, you can also check out our tips for apple picking and look for live weather updates on Twitter @CarterMountain.

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.

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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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!

Mid-June Crop Update for Chiles Peach Orchard

Posted by :Cynthia Chiles On : June 16, 2016
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Pick-Your-Own Peaches Will Be In Short Supply…

As you are likely aware, we’ve had some major challenges with the weather this year. Our winter was extremely warm (warmest on record, as a matter of fact), so our peach trees didn’t get all the dormant time they require. They also bloomed in mid-March, 3-4 weeks earlier than normal. This means they were quite advanced when the mid-April freezes and frosts hit us. We had several nights below freezing, and even some nights in the low-mid 20s’. Our peach crop in Crozet, which is a rather low elevation, suffered significantly. For the past few weeks we’ve been watching with hope as the fruits start to form, only to then drop off the trees.

Because of this, we will have a very short supply of pick-your-own peaches at Chiles Peach Orchard this year, and they will likely be available sometime in July (stay tuned, we will keep you posted). We will, however, have plenty of our own already picked peaches for you (see below), no never fear – you can get your peach fix! We appreciate your understanding, and we will always provide you with the very best that we have.

Peach blossoms after cold snap

Henry Chiles checking peach trees in the spring for live blooms after a cold snap

But, Already-Picked Peaches are Available

Fortunately, we grow peaches on other land in Albemarle County, and some, at higher elevations, were less affected by the freeze. We’re pleased to let you know that we are supplying our farm market with our own peaches this summer, as always. Clingstone peaches are in season now, and we expect our first freestones in mid-July. Nectarines, white peaches, and donut peaches should be available by late June.

Ready-picked peaches in Crozet

NEW! Pick-Your-Own Blueberries

We first planted our blueberry bushes 3 years ago, and we’re happy to report that this year, we do have a small crop! Picking will be available off and on throughout the summer – it varies depending on weather and crowds – feel free to call ahead, or watch our facebook and twitter pages for daily updates.

New! Homegrown Vegetables

New this year—we are growing summer vegetables and flowers! We harvested our first zucchini today, and will have squash, tomatoes, bell peppers, green beans, and cut flowers in our market most of the summer. Farm fresh, local, homegrown—and all delicious and beautiful! Check out our selection next time you stop in!

Baby tomatoes - vegetables at Chiles Peach Orchard

Tomatoes, and other vegetables, grown at Chiles Peach Orchard will be available in the Farm Market

Ready-Picked Lodi Apples Available Soon

Our apple crop in Crozet is looking very good so far!

Summer apples—our first Lodi apples will be available (already picked) within the next few days. These are wonderful for frying, cooking, and applesauce. They will be in season for about 2-3 weeks, so if you are a fan, you’ll want to stop in soon!

We anticipate our first pick-your-own apples in mid-August – but stay tuned for updates throughout the summer.

Pumpkins to be Planted This Week

Our pumpkins are being planted this week (so no frost damage as of yet!!). With lots of hard work, luck, and help from Mother Nature, our pumpkin patch will open in mid-September.

Stay tuned to our social media pages for updates throughout the summer!

Surprise! We’re Open This Weekend

Posted by :Franziska Matiuk On : June 3, 2016
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Surprise! We found some cherries you can pick! Mother Nature hid some and we found them this week. We’ll be open June 3-5, as well as June 9-12 from 9AM – 5PM for picking!

Be sure to like us on Facebook to get all the latest news and picking updates.

We’re Not Opening for a 2016 Cherry Season and Here’s Why

Posted by :Cynthia Chiles On : May 25, 2016
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In the orchard business, we can control a lot of things. The weather, however, isn’t one of them. Mother Nature has the final say, and she determined that we didn’t need any sweet cherries at Spring Valley this year. While we don’t agree with her thinking, all we can do is go along with it.

The winter of 2016 was one of the warmest in a while, and our fruit trees showed it. Trees bloomed 3 weeks earlier than last year, and while that seems like a welcome entrance to spring, farmers know that it can mean problems later. While it’s not unusual to have some sub-freezing temperatures in April, it’s not normal for the trees to be as advanced as they were this year. Our cherry trees in particular were in their most vulnerable stage, with the blossoms fully opened (and unable to protect the embryo cherry inside).

Some of the damage was visible immediately (the blossoms turned brown, a sure sign). We did hold out hope for a while for a partial crop, as some of the cherries continued to develop and seemed that they had survived. However, the cold temperatures proved to be too much for them. The cherries grew for a couple of weeks, and then started falling to the ground. We are left with trees with no fruit for this year.

While we may have a few cherries that we can sell as already picked, there are not nearly enough to open Spring Valley Orchard for pick your own cherries this year. We’ll miss seeing you, and hope you will visit us at Carter Mountain Orchard and Chiles Peach Orchard. We’ll be back strong, Mother Nature willing, in 2017.

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P.O. Box 229
Batesville, VA 22924
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