In the winter of 2017, we had a hearty crew of apple tree pruners.  These three gentlemen spent the frigid Bayfield days hacking away at the trees in the Bayfield Apple Company orchards, where they pruned over 500 apple trees.  There was one tree in particular, though, that there was much deliberation on.  This tree was tall, it was wide, it was mostly alive, kind of dead, very old and most importantly, not really producing fruit.  The deliberation sounded a bit like this -

"Should we take the tallest branch off - or maybe the one that is dragging on the ground?"
"No, we should definitely take the whole top of the tree off."
"No, not the whole top...that is going to be too much.  Let's just take the tallest branch off." 
"We should take off the ones dragging on the ground." 
"Maybe we should just cut the whole thing down and sell the apple wood?"

After this deliberation, it was decided to cut off the whole top off of this tree.  This poor tree looked like a Charlie Brown apple tree...basically a trunk and a few measly limbs.  We monitored this tree in the spring and actually expected it might just need to be totally cut down.  To our surprise, it lived through the winter prune job and even produced some apples in the fall of 2017. 

In the winter of 2018, this old tree got another good pruning and more top branches were removed.

Now, in the summer of 2018, this old McIntosh tree looks beautiful.  Well, actually it looks kind of strange as it still has no top, but the branches that are dripping with ripening apples look beautiful!  In six years, this is the most apples I have EVER seen on this tree.  The explanation that we have all come up with is this tree owes it's life to the pruning it has received the past two winters.  With the useless limbs gone, old McIntosh has been free to put it's energy back into fruit production.  So when you are considering how much to prune this winter, remember the pruning crew's motto, "When in doubt, cut it out!" - and get ready to harvest some fruits of your labor.

When you have over 40 acres of land to work with, sometimes you get creative.  Every year, we add more apple trees and berry bushes to our orchard.  These trees and bushes get the choice land of the orchard - places where we know we will get the best return on our tree and bush investment!  But what about the rest of the land on a farm?  We have one of these such places at our orchard - a highly erodible, marginal spot with sandy soil.  

What are we doing with this spot?  We are planting butterflies!

Well, actually, a butterfly garden! The area we are talking about is approximately one acre, which has been sitting fallow for many years. We began working it this spring, and will plant a mix of dry ground prairie plants this summer. The perimeter will be ringed by a windbreak of hybrid hazelnut plants. There is a managed hazelnut planting on the adjoining farm, and we are getting volunteer hazelnut bushes sprouting in this unused field. Seems like a natural to follow what is already happening, and if nothing else, these will provide a windbreak and wildlife planting.

Our real focus is to attract pollinators for all our various fruit and berry plantings: but we also feel that a scenic natural amphitheater filled with a meadow of dancing butterflies is something our customers will want to take an orchard stroll to look at. So, if you are visiting this summer, be sure to ask about it and see how it is progressing!  You are always welcome to stroll around the orchard.

The hazelnut bushes have been recently planted and the wildflower seeds will go in in June.  While the most beautiful wildflower blossoms will show up next summer, we hope to have some milkweed established during this summer.  It shouldn't be too long until the butterflies have found a new favorite garden at our orchard!

A few years ago, at a farmer's convention, I attended a talk given by Harry Hoch at Hoch Orchards in Minnesota.  This orchard is well known for being a successful organic apple orchard.  The people at Hoch use many techniques to manage their orchards in a way that will control pests and disease, without using harmful insecticides or pesticides.  One of these techniques is mowing their grass every other row.  When Mr. Hoch explained this technique, he said, "I decided to start mowing every other row in my orchard...all I could think was that my neighbors probably thought I was hitting the bottle, but it was actually something I was doing on purpose."  Harry went on to explain the importance of keeping beneficials around your orchard - insects that are useful for pest control and pollination of your plants.  The more pest controlling insects you keep around your orchard, the less you have to employ the use of insecticides to get rid of the bugs you don't want around.  And of course, we all know the importance of pollinators!  Without these important insects, we wouldn't have much fruit!

So we decided that at the risk of our neighbors thinking we were hitting the bottle, we would mow every other row too!  Our unmowed rows are beautiful, full of native wildflowers and grasses that keep all kinds of good bugs around.  We understand the value of these important bugs, and roll out the green carpet for them every spring and summer!

Stop by this summer and see us...eat some Bayfield berries and take an orchard stroll...we have mowed exactly half the rows just for you!

Every spring, the number one question we get from Bayfield fruit enthusiasts is, "How did the trees do this winter?"  This question comes primarily from our loyal customers who make the trip to Bayfield in the winter, looking for their favorite Apple Butter, only to find it is much colder than they ever expected!  Asking about the health of our apple trees makes perfect sense...these trees are, after all, standing in an orchard all winter with very little protection from the blustery winds that visit the hills of Bayfield.   My answer is that our trees are very cold hardy and (thankfully!) the winter does not really bother them.  Even after the coldest of winters (remember the polar vortex, circa 2013) our trees will faithfully blossom each spring.  There is, however, a catch!  If we get an early spring in Bayfield, and our trees begin to blossom...we cross our fingers that the weather stays warm and we do not get a late hard frost!  A hard frost that happens after the trees have begun to blossom will almost certainly result in very little fruit the coming fall.  

So how cold is too cold for blossoming apple trees?  Take a look at the chart below to see the temperatures that will result in damage to a burgeoning fruit set...and keep your fingers crossed for a gradual thaw of the Bayfield orchards this spring! Apple blossoms are right around the corner!

One of the most frequently asked questions that we hear at this time of year is, "how are the apples doing?"  This year, we can answer with an emphatic, "the apples look great!"  Our trees are loaded this year, as you can see from the beautiful picture above.  The apples are still ripening, so we are not picking any fruit quite yet...but when we do, it will be quite the task!  We anticipate our earliest season apple, the tasty Red Free, to be ready for picking in about two weeks.  Until then, let's cross our fingers for some rain...and all of these ripening apples will size up in no time! 

One of the biggest questions people have this year is, Did the winter affect our trees? 

It is a very good & logical question!  With wind chills sweeping over our orchards this winter that dipped into -50 degrees and the huge amount of total snowfall, one would come to the conclusion that the harsh winter must have damaged our trees.  BUT, we are so glad to report that the exact opposite has happened!  We actually have the snow and cold to thank for a few things...

The abundance of snowfall created a type of insulating layer around our trees.  Because the snow was so deep this year, it actually completely COVERED some of our young, fragile trees and about 75% of our mature trees (just the tops of our tall trees could be seen above the snow banks this year). Instead of the frigid temps of the polar vortex taking its toll on our trees, the snow protected them and now we have vibrant, healthy trees to boast of.  So take back all of that cursing of the snow when you bite into a BAC apple this year!

In Winter, snow is just snow.  In Springtime, snow is water, giving awakening trees the drink they need.  We have seen what drought can do to an orchard, and we are so glad that it has been the opposite this year; a high level of precipitation has been great for our trees. The wet winter and wet spring we have had, has turned into a beautiful and healthy orchard.  Everything here is lush and green. 

Last, but not least, we have had a pesky pest bothering us and our apple trees in years past.  The name of this pest is the Obliquebanded Leafroller (say THAT five times fast).  The Leafroller lays egg masses on the leaves of fruit trees, which can contain 200 eggs!  When these eggs hatch, the larvae feed on developing flower buds, developing fruit, and leaves.  They like to eat...so depending on the stage that a tree is in, they will eat what they can!  As you can imagine, we are not a big fan of the O.L. around here.  So imagine (yes, keep on imagining) our surprise when we have not seen evidence of this pest in our orchard this year.  We have a couple theories about the absence of the O.L., but our most logical one is that the polar vortex booted the pest out of our orchard.  Thumbs up for the polar vortex!

The winter of 2014. While it was a long and cold one, with more snow than any of us wanted to shovel...nature used the snow and cold for good!  We have healthy trees, full of young fruit...and we actually have the winter to thank for it!

Summer is in full swing up here in Bayfield!  Any traces of snow have disappeared months ago, the spring apple blossoms have come and gone...and the wet spring we had, has turned into a beautiful summer!

The summer months bring many folks from all over the country, who flock to the Bayfield area to enjoy the peacefulness and beauty of this countryside.  As customers stop by our Orchard Store during their Bayfield visit, the most common question we have heard is, "How is the fruit this year??"  (Coming in at a close second is, "Where is the Bayfield winery...")  This question is always asked with a hint of a troubled expression...many people seem to be scarred by the less-than-average output of fruit, circa 2012, and it seems everyone needs a little reassurance about the status of our fruit this year.  So let me just start out by saying, our fruit is doing GREAT!  Here are some explanations...

• NO LATE FROST
  

The winter of 2013 was a long one, but we didn't have any dramatic warm-ups, until the spring.  This winter was cold, and it stayed cold.  While many of us would have gone for a week of 80 degrees in February, our orchards didn't mind the cold, long winter.  In fact, a dramatic warm-up, followed by an inevitable re-frost would have been detrimental to the health of our orchards.  So in this regard, the long winter was just fine with our fruit. 

• LOTS OF SNOW & RAIN
  

One of the great things that happened this winter and spring, was that we got A LOT of snow and rain.  At the time, it was hard to deal with those April snowstorms...or the weeks of rain in May...but all that precipitation has paid off, in a great way, for our fruit!  The fruit trees and berry bushes are thriving because of it!

• THE ONLY CATCH...
  

The only way the long winter has affected the Bayfield Apple Company fruit, is that everything will be ready about 2 weeks later than usual.  Our apple and pear blossoms took an extra 2 weeks to bloom, our raspberries and blueberries awakened 2 weeks later than usual, our currants & cherries - same thing.  So don't be discouraged if you are looking for Bayfield fruit, and can't find any just yet...check back in two weeks!

Now I will leave you with some photos from our orchards - evidence of healthy and vibrant fruit trees and berry bushes!  Take a look, and get ready to eat some delicious  and bountiful Bayfield fruit this summer and fall!

In the meantime, stop by and see us.  Our Orchard Store is open everyday, 9AM-6PM, and we have lots of other goodies...until the fruit is ready to be picked!

I write this to you on the first day of spring, all the way up here in Bayfield, on the shores of the Great Lake Superior.  While this could conjure up images of apple blossoms gracing our trees, birds flying across sunny blue skies, and those tulip bulbs finally popping out of the ground, I will replace all those images with exactly what our orchard looks like today.  Up here in Bayfield's farm country, we boasted a high of 18 degrees, but with the wind chills, it actually felt more like 7 degrees.  (Can you say long underwear?)  The wind blew our snowdrifts around, and we made sure that our driveway was plowed (we don't want our sweet mail carrier stuck in the knee-deep powder).  As for our orchards, our trees are being cradled by several feet of snow, and are all still standing, despite the threatening howl of the wind.  


The winter has been long, and I think most people up here are ready for the temperatures to break 32 degrees (although, there are those ice-fishers...)  With all of that said, I can't forget the importance of winter.  As much as I have the urge to complain, there is something special that seems to happen during the winter months in our acres of orchards.  Everything is quiet.  Everything slows down.  When stepping into our snowy orchards, there is a tangible peacefulness that can only be felt in winter.  Our sleeping apple blossom buds have not yet awakened; and our trees seem content to be quietly waiting out the rest of the winter with us, standing still and tall.  We are all anxious for Spring weather, but the peacefulness of winter gives us and our trees the time we all need to prepare for a new growing season.  This seems like a good thing to remember when you are living in the North North Country.  So, you wonder, what is our winter news at the Bayfield Apple Company, how have we kept busy...all in all, what are the winter haps at the BAC?  Keep reading to find out...

• Staff Changes

I bring this point up first, because I am the key "staff change."  I have been working at the BAC for the past two fall harvest seasons, and was thrilled to accept a full time position in mid-February.  I join the rest of the on-site staff (John, Thomas and Jules) who have been running the orchard together for the past year.  So that is some big news.  The staff of three, has changed to four.  

• Pruning, Pruning, Pruning

This is one of the most important tasks we complete during the winter months, pruning our apple trees.  If we left our trees unpruned, they would be a big ol' mess by summertime.  When we prune, we get rid of all of the branches that are no longer "working" for the tree.  They could be dead, they could be shielded by more vigorous branches (and fighting for sunlight)...or we just may need to eliminate some branches to allow a healthy amount of air to flow through the branches of the tree.  We spend much of the winter pruning our trees, and are rewarded with healthy trees, come harvest season.  

• Never-Ending Office Work (including a website overhaul)

Even though our trees take a rest during the winter, our office doesn't.  In our orchards, you can be surrounded by silence, but in the office, there is always the hum of the computer, the much louder hum of the propane heater, and on some days...some not so nice words for our technological devices.  We receive mail orders for our products year-round, and sell our products in many fine nearby establishments.  We are also preparing for the busier months with new job and intern opportunities...and much more.  While our fruit harvests are seasonal, our office work is not.  It is a year-round dance of paperwork and e-mails.  Recently, we have begun a website overhaul (if you are reading this, you are experiencing the fruits of our labor, our new website).  I was the project manager on this one, so I hope you like!

• Jam Making

Another aspect of our business that doesn't get a break is our jam processing.  Jules, our chief jam-maker, slaves away in our processing room until all of our orders for jam, jelly and mustard have been filled.  Just because it is winter, doesn't mean people don't want their delish Bayfield Apple Company goodies.  So in the words of Mr. Marley, "stir it up..."  And don't stop until that wholesale order is filled.


If you have read all of this, wow, congratulations!  And thanks for your interest in our orchard.  That just about sums up our winter happenings at the Bayfield Apple Company.  Spring is right around the corner, but while we are all waiting, don't forget to enjoy the peacefulness that winter brings.  And stop by and see us.  Our Orchard Store is open year-round, and is stocked with our delicious products...available for your enjoyment in all seasons!  Peruse our store, and step outside to wander through our orchards, while they are still quiet and snow-covered.  Enjoy the silence of the orchard.  And don't forget your long underwear.