It’s summertime at the orchards here at Arbor Day Farm, and we find ourselves in the middle of a very hot, very dry spell here in Nebraska City. We doing a lot of the same things that you’re probably doing in your backyard gardens: watering when we can, pulling weeds, helping our plants and trees mitigate the stresses of the season. As is typical in hot and dry years, the apples will likely be smaller in size and will mature faster this fall, resulting in an earlier apple harvest.

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Winter Maintenance in the Apple Orchard

Jan 27 by Erik Olson in Apples, General, Orchards & Apples, Trees tagged apple tree care, apple wood, Arbor Day Farm, orchard, orchard maintenance, tree care, tree pruning, winter orchard with 4 comments

Apple orchards are popular places at two distinct times of the year – during the spring bloom, when branches are covered in pink and white flowers, and in the fall, when crisp, juicy apples are ready for harvest. Most people don’t realize it, but wintertime in an orchard is important, too. Attention to detail in the off-season makes both the bloom and the harvest better.

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Caramel Apples at Arbor Day Farm

Oct 13 by Amy S. in Apples, General, Orchards & Apples tagged Apples, Arbor Day Farm, caramel apples, Nebraska City with no comments

Caramel apples are one of the fall season’s finest treats! Here at Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, we hand-dip more than 16,000 caramel apples for our guests and visitors during the busy fall season. This short video shows you step by step how we make them.

But the question remains… nuts or no nuts?

Apple Harvest at Arbor Day Farm: A Preview

Aug 31 by Erik Olson in Apples, General, Orchards & Apples, Trees tagged apple harvest, apple tree, Applejack Nebraska City, Apples with 5 comments

Here in the orchards at Arbor Day Farm, September signals the true start of the apple picking season. A few early varieties (like Paulared) were ready by late summer, but September is when a majority of apples really turn the corner from almost ready to primetime for picking.

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