Services
Interested in converting your unused common areas, unproductive ornamental landscapes, or expensive golf course into a farm? Fresh fruits and vegetables can be grown in the common areas of your HOA. Planning services include in-depth consultations and analyses to understand your soil and climatic conditions and plot out every aspect of your orchard, from composition and orientation to essential infrastructure like irrigation. The farm plans that we offer primarily fall into two categories: the “commercial orchard” and the “food forest.”
The commercial orchard, as the name implies, is designed primarily for the production of fruit for sale. These orchards grow one to three types of fruit in volume large enough to achieve the economies of scale necessary for the sale to large commercial packing houses. A smaller amount of the fruit will be sold direct to consumers at farmer’s markets.
The food forest, on the other hand, is a highly diversified orchard designed to produce as much food as possible throughout the year. With a dozen or more different varieties carrying staggered harvest dates, this type of orchard provides a wide variety of fresh fruit for the community with some leftover for direct sales to farmer’s markets.
This turnkey farm management service picks up where the planning and installation leave off. This is a one-stop-shop for everything necessary to maintain a working fruit orchard. This includes but is not limited to: checking and repairing irrigation issues, pruning trees as necessary, fertilizing as necessary, and controlling pests.
Our management service also includes a direct interface with the HOA members and residents in the form of a quarterly newsletter. These newsletters are distributed by email and include news about operations in the orchard, the development of each years’ crop, and updates from our farmer’s markets and restaurant clientele. We also provide direct email support to assist HOA members with any orchard-related issues.
This is an extension of the farm management plan which applies specifically to the commercial-style orchard. Under this contract extension, we will carry responsibility for marketing the crops through our network of farmer’s markets, farm-to-table restaurants, private schools, and packing houses. We charge a percentage of the crop value to cover costs associated with harvest and sales.
An extension of the farm management plan tailored for diverse, food forest-style orchards. Our Harvest Club service provides the HOA client with the freshest orchard produce possible. We will pick fruit every week or every other week depending on the agreement and place them into baskets available at a central location or deliver to the doorstep of each participating homeowner. Alternatively, we can organize u-pick events for homeowners to harvest their own produce. It’s a great activity for families and an excellent way to learn more about farming and gardening! This option carries a supplemental management fee.