Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike And Darcy Sjomeling
Hi Mike and Darcy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Curt and Helen Peterson started Fall Harvest Orchard 48 years ago, as a roadside stand. That worked, people bought their apples. So they planted more trees. They started to let customers in to see the animals. They planted more trees. They started to let customers in for wagon rides. They planted more trees. And boom, 48 years later, we have over 6,000 apples trees. And over 40 attractions- the most in Minnesota! Unfortunately Curt passed away 10 years ago, and Helen was looking to retire. Mike and Darcy were long time customers and wanted to keep it going. And Mike happened to be going through a mid life crisis 10 years ago! A lot of people would have bought a fishing boat or sports car, but Mike bought an apple orchard! But we are honored and humbled to try to keep Fall Harvest going. We believe Curt and Helen built a special place.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We never grew apples and pumpkins before! We thought there would be some work involved. But it’s so much more manual work than we thought! Pruning, thinning, picking – all manual. Weeding pumpkins all day will mentally break you! Our kids were teenagers when we moved to the farm. All three wanted to move back to town within a month!
Weather has also been a huge challenge. We need good weather in the spring and summer to grow apples. And then great weather on weekends in the fall to sell apples. And we’ve had ups and downs in both departments! Too much rain, too little rain, hail (a four letter word out here), late spring frosts that kill apple blossoms, early fall frosts that soften apples. We’re just waiting for the locusts to come one of these years!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Fall Harvest Orchard ?
Customers love the farm. We have over 40 attractions and things to do, the most in Minnesota! Apple picking, pumpkin picking, wagon rides, corn maze, 5 trains, jump pillows, corn pits, apple cannons, so many animals, and so much more. People absolutely love our Scottish Highlanders Sunny and Moose – customers even feed them apples!
We love seeing families and customers make memories at Fall Harvest Orchard. So many families have made us an annual tradition. They come every year, and let us know how much they appreciate us keeping the orchard going. It’s so sweet to hear, and really what keeps us going. We’ve long given up on getting rich on this business. But the memories families are able to make here are timeless.
Any big plans?
We’re having so much fun out here! We pretty much reinvest everything. We love apples, so we plant new apple trees every spring, including several new varieties. Ludacrisp is one of our favorites! We love adding new attractions for families to enjoy. Last year we added a new giant barn slide and a new farm ropes obstacle course. It was so rewarding seeing families faces light up when they saw the new additions!
Pricing:
- Free parking and free admission!
- Approximately 20 free activities!
- Approximately 20 ticketed activities. Tickets $5 each. Or wristbands $25 ($20 if buying 3 or more)
- Upick apples $10 to $30, depending on bag size
- Upick pumpkins $10, or 4 for $30.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fallharvestorchard.com
- Instagram: Fall Harvest Orchard
- Facebook: Fall harvest orchard
