The question is asked of us “how did you get started with elderberries?” Well, it seems like everything has a story and here is ours:
We have small acreage that contains pasture, row crop as well as some timber and raised beef show cattle. Our son was going off to college and made the decision to sell the herd. So, we had pondered what we were going to do with our land.
As I was driving one day a program came on the radio called “Living the Country Life.” This a short program on weekdays discussing different things people do in the country. This day the topic was elderberries. I began to listen as it caught my ear and pondering the thought of this might be good for our low-lying pastureland. So like any good husband would do, I brought this topic up to my wonderful wife. I received a look of curiosity, and her comment was “interesting”.
So we began the task of researching, making calls, and visiting elderberry growers we could find before we made a commitment to having an orchard. After doing our due diligence we decided this would be an enjoyable way to spend time in nature and build a retirement project.
We started in the fall of 2019 preparing the seed bed and sowing rye and white clover. In May of 2020 we planted our first 1,000 plants with drip irrigation. In the spring of 2022, we added another 1,000 plants with drip irrigation. We also added a few plants of native elderberries to our area to experiment with how they grow commercially.
While it has been a lot of work, it has been an educational experience. We are enjoying answering questions and having people come by our orchard. We hope to see you at Julesburg Farms.
Vendor Biography
The question is asked of us “how did you get started with elderberries?” Well, it seems like everything has a story and here is ours:
We have small acreage that contains pasture, row crop as well as some timber and raised beef show cattle. Our son was going off to college and made the decision to sell the herd. So, we had pondered what we were going to do with our land.
As I was driving one day a program came on the radio called “Living the Country Life.” This a short program on weekdays discussing different things people do in the country. This day the topic was elderberries. I began to listen as it caught my ear and pondering the thought of this might be good for our low-lying pastureland. So like any good husband would do, I brought this topic up to my wonderful wife. I received a look of curiosity, and her comment was “interesting”.
So we began the task of researching, making calls, and visiting elderberry growers we could find before we made a commitment to having an orchard. After doing our due diligence we decided this would be an enjoyable way to spend time in nature and build a retirement project.
We started in the fall of 2019 preparing the seed bed and sowing rye and white clover. In May of 2020 we planted our first 1,000 plants with drip irrigation. In the spring of 2022, we added another 1,000 plants with drip irrigation. We also added a few plants of native elderberries to our area to experiment with how they grow commercially.
While it has been a lot of work, it has been an educational experience. We are enjoying answering questions and having people come by our orchard. We hope to see you at Julesburg Farms.