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, which used to house a few farm ducks. Volunteers and Farm Park staff manage the orchard — which involves watering, pruning, and weed control.

Click HERE to learn more about our ornamental trees around the Farm Park
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 Bushes We Have in the RGFP Orchard?

  • Hazel

  • Lilac

  • Maiden’s Blush Apple

  • Nanking Cherry

  • Staceyville Pear

  • Summer Sweet Apple

  • Summercrisp Pear

  • Strawberry

  • Raspberry

  • Connel Red Apple

  • Semi Dwarf Sweet Sixteen Apple

  • Red Lake Currant

  • Crandall Currant

  • Deacon Jones Apple

  • American Elderberry

  • Caragana

  • Goji Berry

strawberries
goji berries
nanking cherries
saskatoon service berries
apple
raspberries

Farm Park Orchard Honeybees

Bees play an important role in pollinating plants, including many food crops. Pollination by bees allows for efficient plant reproduction and guarantees biodiversity of local ecosystems. Bees also act as a great 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 bee-attracting native plants around the property, such as yarrow, Common Sunflower, rabbitbrush, and Rocky Mountain Bee Plant in addition to our many annual flowering plants. 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 previously 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 watering & pruning and/or beekeeping tasks) or if you want to lead a workshop about a topic specific to the orchard, please contact our Farm Park Director, Dan Perez, at dan@riograndefarmpark.org.