U-Pick Orchard Plantings

My older brother James started Littletree Orchards in Ithaca, NY, in 1972, when I was eight years old. When I was 13, in 8th grade, I wrote a paper titled “My Future U-Pick Orchard.” I wonder where I got that idea from!

I spent the next 26 years going to school, working on my brother's orchard, starting a nursery with my Dad, and finally, in 1998, I bought a rundown orchard in Ithaca, NY, to fulfill my childhood dream of having a U-pick orchard just like my brother James. It is called Indian Creek Farm.

Why U-pick?

There are two basic orchard business models: wholesale and retail. I don’t like being at the mercy of just a few buyers, and I enjoy interacting with the public, therefore retail is the model that I prefer. At our farm we sell about 90% of our produce as pick-your-own. The remaining 10% we sell at our roadside stand. We do not sell off-farm. No loading trucks and going to market. No dealing with fussy chefs. Just straight to the consumer.    

Over the years I’ve learnt a lot about what works for a U-pick orchard. The advice I offer is more about the larger business model than the specifics of buying apple trees. If you are thinking of starting a U-pick orchard, you probably already understand that you need do some serious research on deer protection, trellising, spraying, diseases and pests, and equipment.  

1. Plant apples! Apple is the lead actor and all other fruits are in the supporting cast. I have a friend, Bill Adams at Adams Acres, who came to me fifteen years ago at the age of 40 with a dream of starting an organic U-pick orchard. Bill had very little orchard knowledge, but he was a smart guy and asked questions from many growers. He did his homework, and he ended up purchasing 2 acres worth of disease-resistant apple varieties on dwarf rootstock from us and putting in a high-density planting. He is now at 3 acres and his orchard is open only from September-October, and only on weekends. He sells out every year. At an average of 600 bushels per acre x 3 acres (at $2/lb x 42 lbs per bushel) and you get … $151,200 gross. Go ahead and be a pessimist and divide that number in half. It’s still not a bad income for an orchard that is open to the public only 16-20 days a year. 
2. Plant dwarf trees so that people can reach them without ladders. Plant a succession of varieties to span the fall. Make sure to plant a lot of Honeycrisp; this will remain the number-one apple for many, many years to come.
3. What apple varieties do we recommend? Red apples. No joke. The sweet spot seems to be 80% red apple to 20% yellows and greens. Apple season is basically September through October so most of your varieties should ripen in the fall. It’s always nice, whether you decide to be organic or not, to plant varieties that are resistant to apple scab and other diseases. However, this can be limiting, and commercial varieties such as Fuji, Empire, Granny Smith, Jonagold and Gala should not be forgotten. Sometimes it’s good to give the people what they want. If they want a red Fuji, then give it to them. Be sure to use our cool filters to modify your search. For example, the search results for disease-resistant, dwarf trees can even be sorted by ripening date!
4. What other fruit trees do we recommend? This is pretty simple. In order of profitability over a ten year period: apples, peaches, pears, tart cherries, plums, sweet cherries and right at the bottom would be apricots. While apples are King, peaches are Queen. Peaches are popular and consistent. All of the other fruits are nice and they keep your farm interesting, but don’t count on them to pay the bills. Be sure to use the filters on the main Buy Trees page.    
5. If you have extra land and you like to stay busy, there are plenty of ways to extend your season and generate extra income in a U-pick model. Plant flowers and sunflowers. (A bouquet a week keeps your sweetie sweet.) Plant veggies. (We send folks out with a peck market basket. “Fill it with anything you want,” we tell them. Eggplant, tomatoes, peaches, apples, it’s all the same price.) Plant pumpkins. (Plant a lot of them.) Plant brussels sprouts. (The perfect U-pick vegetable. They look weird and they are a one-pick-and-done crop. Provide some old loppers and set the people loose in the fall. It’s like going after Christmas trees that you can eat.)
6. Press cider. What’s an orchard without cider in the fall? And now that you have cider, you may as well make cider donuts. They are actually very healthy, really. 
7. Make it fun and encourage repeat visits. People aren't coming to your farm to save money. They are coming to have a good time. You should expect your customers to be respectful, but don’t make too many rules. Parents are always looking for a place to take their children to play and run around. Build playgrounds. Turn your retired tractors into climbables. Plant some old pianos around. Maybe some soccer nets. Don’t charge a penny for these fun things. Only charge people for what they buy. This will bring them back week after week, year after year.
8. Charge grocery store prices for your produce. Remember that you are providing a service. Think of your farm as a state park where people can pick very fresh, very tasty produce. They should pay at least as much as they pay for old produce in a fluorescent warehouse. Furthermore, you have built something beautiful. You and your employees deserve to earn a decent living. 
9. Create community with a fun newsletter, and encourage every person that visits to sign up for it. We send out a newsletter for the nursery and a different one for the farm, and plenty of our customers say that the weekly farm letter is one of the highlights of their week. 
10. Click here to see a genuine U-pick farmer in his natural habitat: Farmer Steve.