Door Creek Orchard

06/12/2026

They’re emerging! 💕🦋 The first of the moths from the cocoons I found in the orchard while pruning has made their entrance.

Just in awe of the beauty of Cecropia moths.

06/01/2026

We are honored to be nominated for Best of Madison!

Please consider voting for us in the new “Fall Activities” category. Thank you in advance!

Check it out now!

05/29/2026

2026 Crop update. Not great, but not terrible. Also I forgot to mention that there will be either VERY few or NO Honeycrisp this year.

05/08/2026

Trying to take a moment amidst the anxiety to truly appreciate the stunning beauty of this land in Spring. Today Spring is shining in all her glory—sunshine, blue skies, warmer temperatures, gentle breezes, and birdsong. Our pollinators are happily buzzing everywhere, working hard to find what are hopefully some still healthy blooms. Earth has awakened in full.

Feeling lucky to bear witness. Happy Spring.

04/23/2026

Creating a codling moth lonely hearts club.

Today we hung mating disruption ties in each of our trees. They disperse species-specific pheromone all season long, with the goal of preventing male codling moth from finding a real female moth before they die from old age.

No meeting, no mating, no worms in your apples.

We actually love this job. It is quiet, and a little meditative. Each of us systematically walking the rows at the beginning of bloom, taking in the beauty of the orchard about to truly come alive with life.

(Third slide: Val takes his warm-up routine very seriously. He is a former Olympic decathlete…we listen. 😆)

04/21/2026

Frost fires. They look cinematic. Romantic. But the reason for them can mean crop loss.

When temperatures drop after an unusually warm stretch, flower buds can be killed. And no flowers means no fruit.

Fruit growers have very few tools to fight this. Each one might buy us a degree or two. Sometimes that’s enough. Sometimes it isn’t.

Two nights ago, we faced this here in the Upper Midwest. On our farm, I’m cautiously optimistic about the outcome. My (very unscientific) bud assessment shows we may have lost about half of our flowers in our low section. But not everything.

But our friends in the Northeast weren’t as lucky. The same cold hit them this morning - and it was worse. Some orchards were already at bloom. Their losses will be significant.

One night. That’s all it takes to lose a year. And perennial growers can’t just replant and recover this season. When it’s gone, it’s gone. Try again in 2027.

The mental and physical toll of farming is real. And it’s getting harder every year.

It’s not even May. We don’t feel “safe” until June. There’s still a long road ahead.

If you think of us this spring, we’ll take it. And come fall, savor each bite of fruit just a little more.

04/16/2026

Orchard update. What. A. Spring.

I’ve pinned the bud phenology chart to the grid for everyone as well. One good thing—our plant tissues will be well hydrated going into the possible freeze! 😆

03/27/2026

Pruning 2026 is finished!!!!! We love pruning. But we are ready to be done. 😆🍎🤪🪾✂️

03/19/2026

Hyalophora cecropia cocoons everywhere in the orchard this year! Hope this explanation helps. These giant native moths are some of my favorite beings on earth. 💕🌳🦋

02/12/2026

Winter pruning: shaping structure for 2026 and for years we haven’t seen yet.
And these blue-sky pruning days? The best of the best.