Our Orchard

The Orchard at the Farm Park was constructed in 2019, thanks to a group of volunteers who led the planting of forty-eight individual trees of different varieties best suited for the unique alpine growing climate of the San Luis Valley. The orchard space also contains one of two on-site honeybee colonies and a small mobile chicken coop. Volunteers and Farm Park staff manage the orchard throughout the year, including routine watering, pruning, and weeding.

Click HERE to learn more about our ornamental trees around the Farm Park
Click HERE to learn more about our ornamental trees around the Farm Park
Click HERE for a guided audio tour of the Orchard
Click HERE for a guided audio tour of the Orchard

Apples,

Pears,

Cherries,

Berries,

Nuts,

Flowers,

Apples, Pears, Cherries, Berries, Nuts, Flowers,

What Are Some of the Varieties of Trees and Shrubs We Have in the RGFP Orchard?

  • Hazel

  • Lilac

  • Maiden’s Blush Apple

  • Nanking Cherry

  • Staceyville Pear

  • Summer Sweet Apple

  • Summercrisp Pear

  • Strawberry

  • Raspberry

  • Haralson Apple

  • Connel Red Apple

  • Semi Dwarf Sweet Sixteen Apple

  • Red Lake Currant

  • Crandall Currant

  • Deacon Jones Apple

  • American Elderberry

  • Caragana

  • Goji Berry

  • Red McIntosh Apple

strawberries
goji berries
nanking cherries
saskatoon service berries
apple
raspberries

Rio Grande Farm Park Honeybees

Bees play an important role in pollinating plants, including many food crops. Pollination by bees allows for efficient plant reproduction and guarantees biodiversity in local ecosystems. Keeping bees also functions as a useful educational tool to teach the public about food systems and the environment around them.

Our bees are currently cared for by our staff members. We adhere to the principles of natural beekeeping, meaning that our bee care practices prioritize the health of our hives over honey production.

To keep the park’s hives happy and busy in the summer, we have various pollinator-friendly native plants around the property, such as Yarrow, Common Sunflower, Rabbitbrush, and Rocky Mountain Bee Plant in addition to our many annual flowers. In the fall, we prepare the bees for winter hibernation by placing cold protection over the hive. By springtime, they are active again and buzz around the park to pollinate all summer long.

The Farm Park has hosted multiple workshops about hive care and queen bee identification led by local bee-keeping experts. In the future, we hope to begin harvesting honey for community use.

If you are interested in becoming an orchard volunteer (involves tree care and/or beekeeping tasks) or if you want to lead a workshop about a topic specific to the orchard, please contact the Farm Park Director, Dan Perez (at dan@riograndefarmpark.org).