This is all about a dream come true. In his teen years, Hal dreamt about some day having his own orchard. However, a computer career and raising a family intervened, and it was not until forty years later in 2001 that the dream was resurrected. A test plot of 181 trees was planted in 2002, on twenty acres of hayfield near their recreational property outside Niagara, Wisconsin. That first winter was hard with little snow and frost to a depth of 8 feet. Much to Hal’s surprise, all the trees survived, and Hal knew his dream had promise. More trees have been planted each year, and the orchard now has about 1900 trees and over 20 varieties. Carol, who had always loved to cook, decided to add a bakery to the orchard. Even though she is a full-time music teacher, she still manages to turn out delicious pies, breads, cookies, and other treats on weekends during the apple season.

Tree Method The latest techniques in apple growing have been used in laying out the orchard. All trees are on dwarfing rootstock, planted five feet apart. To give them support, all trees are tied to a trellis that looks more like a grape vineyard than the traditional orchard. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is employed to keep pests and diseases at bay. Hal traps for a number of insects, so he can tell exactly what to spray for and when, keeping the number of sprays to a minimum.