Our Farm
Arkindale Farm is a picturesque, 5.5 acre apple orchard on the shore of Lake Okanagan with 2500 trees, a mixture of older trees – McIntosh, Golden Delicious, and newer plantings of Gala and Fuji apples all on M9 root stock. The farmhouse is a heritage home built in 1909. The name, Arkindale, comes from the Arkinstall family farm in Southern Ontario. Our Produce
The Orchard:
The trees ar
e planted north/south which provides optimal sunlight.The orchard is on a gentle slope towards the lake with excellent air drainage protecting against frost damage. The orchard produces 80,000 to 120,000 pounds of Fancy, Extra Fancy apples per year. Orchard Management:
In 2012 we started a transition to organic production. In 2013 the orchard operation will be based on a total organic program with no use of pesticides or herbicides. All sprays, are be certified and signed off as proven safe for humans. We use organic mulch to control weeds and to increase tree vigour. Nutrients are used as appropriate but we do not use chemical fertilizers. Picking:
The apples are carefully picked and graded in the orchard into 10 (11) pound boxes. Only the very best fruit is picked into the boxes. Apples that do not meet a fancy or extra-fancy grade are saved for processing into juice or dried apple products. The fruit is kept cool to preserve quality and cold storage is used when needed.
