What began solely as a vegetable operation has transitioned into a combination of vegetable production and orchard establishment. Beginning in 2018, a large number of apple trees were planted, marking the beginning of what will someday be Hatchet Creek Orchards. In the process, over 40 varieties of apple trees have been planted on the farm. Additionally, a variety of rootstocks have been used within those varieties. For those unfamiliar with the process, every apple tree is actually a combination of 2 apple trees. You have the root system of the tree being one variety of apple. What you see above the ground and what determines the type of fruit you harvest is the other variety of apple. The root variety (Rootstock) determines how big the tree will get, along with other unique characteristics, such as it’s tolerance to certain apple tree diseases, it’s ability or inability to grow unsupported, and it’s level of cold hardiness. Rootstocks can limit a mature tree to a very dwarf size, or it can limit it only slightly. Trees that are not limited at all in their size are considered “standard” sized trees.
Here are some of the varieties of apple trees planted on the farm:
Honeycrisp, Chesnut Crab, Cortland, Franklin Cider, Macintosh, Liberty, Hewes (Virginia) Crab, Ashmead Kernel, Harrison, Foxwhelp, Dolgo Crab, HoneyGold, Wealthy, Freedom, Wolf River, Campfield Cider, and many more.
Some of the apple rootstocks that are being tested on the varieties above are M26, M106, M111, M7, B118, B9, G890, G41, G935, and Standard size.
The trees were ordered in bare-root form from at least 5 different nurseries from around the country, including Washington, Missouri, Wisconsin, and New York.
