Doll's Orchards, LLC

While we have begun the Christmas countdown, we also have started plans to begin pruning.   Most people would think our season begins with bloom and harvest, but we actually feel that the start of our new seasonal year begins when we begin pruning. It is necessary that the trees be dormant to begin this process.  Typically the winter months, anywhere from November to March are a suitable time.  Trees should have shed their leaves, active shoot growth should be finished and green tissue should be hardened.  Since pruning stimulates growth, the tree will be prompted to grow again if the tree is not in dormancy and tissue will be susceptible to damage by the cold weather.

Our trees are in dormancy now, but plans were put on hold for the first part of this week due to snow, ice and below freezing temperatures.  It is not recommended to prune branches with ice or snow build up.  The milder weather we are now experiencing, however,  has given us an opportunity to get the equipment out and allowed us to move forward.

Probably the most frequently asked questions by our customers are those that involve pruning fruit trees.  In horticulture the one area that seems to bring the most anxiousness for the backyard orchardist is pruning.  However, once the grower understands the basic principles of pruning, he/she will experience favorable results.  The goal to pruning a fruit tree is to maintain an established shape and height while allowing enough sunlight into the interior of the tree.  There are also times when it is necessary to remove broken or diseased branches and open up the tree to access the interior canopy so all the fruit can be picked.

Pruning does not require a degree in horticulture but it is necessary to learn the basic principles to have successful results.  That information can be obtained from literature distributed by a grower’s county extension service, publications from the land grant universities’ horticultural departments, landscaping companies.  A book that we found particular informative for the backyard grower is “The BackYard Orchardist” by Stella Otto.  This publication has great information and written in laymen’s terms; not only informative but an interesting read.

Season Greetings to All!

The great holiday of Thanksgiving is now history and onward we go to the Christmas season.  Not really too much going on here at the orchard.  It is a lull time for us; very much needed to say the least.  Although a slower pace, we have still been busy with putting away the ladders, picking bags, crates and doing general after harvest cleanup.

We will be attending the first trade show of the season and that is the Great Lakes Fruit and Vegetable Exposition in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  It is held at the DeVos Center and has hundreds of exhibitors.  Along with the latest and greatest in equipment and products, there are seminars hosted by the University of Michigan.  The seminars deal with problems in the orchards such as fungus, insects and diseases that affect the trees and root systems.

It is always a very interesting and informative three days for us in Michigan.  We say we go to this show to learn how to grow apples.  That comment usually brings a chuckle but in fact that is exactly what we do.  We make an effort to attend so we learn new techniques that allow us to make our product better for our customers.  Never too old to learn new things.

Wishing all a happy holiday season.  Best wishes to all.

An old adage says, “all good things must come to an end.”  We will miss seeing our customers, both old and new, at the markets and at our orchard locations but the CLOSED sign was put up this past Monday.  Thank you to all for making this season a successful one for us.  Hope to see all of you again next season.

We have turned the corner and are approaching the harvest of the last few varieties from the orchard.  This week we will be harvesting Stamen Winesap and Black Twig Winesap.  Pink Lady, Gold Rush, and Granny Smith will also be on the agenda for picking this week.  Many people have the perception that the Granny Smith variety is an early apple.  It is actually one of the last apples picked in the orchard.  The supermarkets and chain groceries numb us to the time of year that apples ripen and are picked fresh since they always have a large supply of many varieties all year long.  The Gold Rush are becoming a popular late apple.  If you are interested in a larger quantity be sure to call ahead and put an order in to ensure you get your hands on these deliciously juicy late apples.

We plan to be selling apples through October at our regularly attended markets and at the main building located at 21134 Tony Road.  There are still plenty of Yellow and Red Delicious, Mutsu, and Chesapeake as well as the Winesap, Pink Lady, and Gold Rush.

The U-Pik operation is closed for the season.  We are very pleased with all of the customer support during our first season of opening, and we thank all of our new and returning customers that came out to support this new venture for us.  We look forward to seeing you at the U-Pik in 2020 for season #2!

The last weekend in September is always a busy weekend for the orchard.  We will again be selling apples at the Brookville Farm and Machinery show which will mark over 20 consecutive years of being part of the event.  We enjoy seeing so many of our loyal customers come back year after year on Thursday thru Sunday looking for their favorite apples and also sharing life updates and stories.  Take some time and enjoy the events of the weekend and visit the show.  https://www.fcamc.org/

The hot and dry weather has delayed the harvest for several varieties of apples.  We have just started harvesting the following apples to add as available varieties to be purchased starting this week:

Red Delicious, Yellow Delicious, Mutsu, Melrose, Jonagold

Other varieties still available include:

McIntosh, Gala, Fuji, Cortland, Empire

Come out and visit us to get your all time favorite apples and try some new varieties too!

Oldenburg and the area has experienced fall weather conditions with overnight temperatures in the 50’s over the last week.  It was a nice break from the high humidity, and it looks like temperatures are climbing back into the 80’s this week.  Apples are ripening,  and picking, washing, and sorting are keeping everyone at the orchard busy.

We will be harvesting the following varieties which will be available for sale this week:

Jonathan, Grimes Golden, September Wonder (Early Fuji), and Daybreak Fuji.  Spot picking of Golden Delicious will be dependent on the weather.

We still have a good inventory of Gala, Gingergold, Empire, Cortland, and McIntosh.  Honeycrisp are still available but are moving quickly as they are a customer favorite.

Have you ever tried a Pixie Crunch or a Crimson Crisp?  Pick some up while they are available.  These are delicious apples that you cannot find readily in your local supermarket.

If you want to create a family Fall experiences, stop in at our U-Pik.  In addition to picking, there are pre-picked apples, honey, jelly, and applesauce available for purchase.  To make it an easier shopping experience, the U-Pik takes credit cards.  The main orchard still only accepts cash.

See you at the Orchard!  It is always a pleasure to meet new customers and friends and talk to returning ones as well!

It has been gorgeous weather in Oldenburg.  Last weekend, the skies were perfect blue scattered with fluffy clouds.  Humidity is low!  Perfect Indiana weather.  It is the perfect weather to enjoy some fresh apples.  Nothing beats an orchard fresh apple!  Whether you want to sink your teeth into juicy, fresh apples that we picked and washed or you want to make new memories picking your own, we are open all weekend including Labor Day.  Come out and make some new memories and learn some secrets on how to pick apples!  Our family looks forward to serving your family!

Below is a glimpse into our U-Pik operation.  Last week was our grand opening and we hope to meet many new people this weekend as well!

Blondie, Gala, McIntosh, Honeycrisp, Ginger Gold

The “OPEN” sign was put out and another season is under way.  Our business hours have been set as:  Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday open at 9:00 a.m. and we will close at 6:00 p.m.; Wednesday, 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.  Saturday, 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, 10:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

The Farmers’ Markets that we will be participating as a vendor are the Saturday Batesville, Indiana Market; the Saturday North Vernon, Indiana Market; the Friday Greensburg, Indiana Market.  Market locations and hours can be found on the websites for each.  Wednesday mornings we will bring our apples to the White’s Farm Flea Market in Brookville, Indiana.  Hours there are sunrise until around noon depending on the weather.

The varieties that we have available at this time are the Gingergold  and Zestar apples.  Both of these apple varieties are superb in their unique flavors and versatility.  Gala is the next variety to pick followed by the ever popular HoneyCrisp.  Nothing is better than an apple fresh off the tree.

Our U-Pik venture will open the 24th of August and at this time we will offer weekend hours only, Saturday, 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., and Sunday,10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. This is something new for us and we are trying to make it a “family” outing.  All the kinks are yet to be worked out so please bear with us in this “growing” venture.  We look forward to seeing all our good customers, old and new, as we begin another season.

“Dog” days of summer are upon us as we approach the beginning of another harvest season.  Heat advisories were issued for the area as the past few days the temperatures have been in the upper 90’s and heat indexes have approached over 105 degrees.  Recent rain has caused the humidity levels to soar.

The apples have passed their cell divisions and are starting to put on their growth.  So far, so good with the development of the apples.  Peaches, however, are not much.  At this point we are trying to beat the wildlife to them as the squirrels and raccoons have enjoyed the few peaches that have ripened so far.  On the lighter side, it is amusing to see the squirrels manage to get a peach from the top of the tree and scurry away with it.  They are “stealing” it for the seed in the stone.  Guess they know something good when they see it and don’t think twice about helping themselves.

Still using weed eaters in the orchard and pulling weeds from around the young trees.  Trying to keep things under control before we spend most of our days picking fruit.  Weed control can be discouraging, especially this year.   We are also fine tuning the equipment as we get ready for harvest.

The first apples we harvested were Lodi and Early Harvest or Transparent.  Both of these varieties are exceptional for sauce.  We have only a few trees so supply is limited and usually go to the same customers every year.  We will be harvesting Gingergold apples in about three weeks and this variety will be the first that we can offer to our customers.  After the Gingergold we will be picking Sansa, Zestar and the ever popular Gala.  By the third week of August we will have a nice selection of apples to offer our customers at our markets.  Check out our updated chart with apple varieties and their uses as well as the descriptions of each of the varieties that are grown in our orchard.

Again, we strongly encourage shopping for your produce at your local Farmers’ Markets.  These markets offer fresh produce, most of it directly from the farmer to you.  Meet and chat with the vendors, ask questions.  A visit to the market may be an extra trip in your busy schedules but there is no better way “eat fresh” and support the local grower.