Starting an Orchard Property

Orchards are becoming popular investment avenues of late. More and more people are buying this type of real estate for many reasons. Many would like to earn income from sale of the fruits to wineries. Others would want to find a way to conserve their land or simply check erosion around their property. Some would like to use them to produce their own wines. Others buy for recreational purposes. They just enjoy the walk though their orchards, deriving pleasure from the blossoming of the fruits and the general greenery. Still many have bought orchards for second income. They rent out the facility to people for use as receptions or vacation destinations. Some orchard owners have specially employed tour guides to take people round the orchards for a fee.

All of these point to the economic potential of the orchard. You can crate an orchard from scratch or buy an existing one. Each approach will require a different set of criteria in investing. We look at how to go about an orchard from these perspectives.

Orchards require large tracts of land. The land should be well drained and loamy so that the plants can easily absorb the nutrients from the soil. The location must also be sunny and have free flow of air.

You will need to do soil test to determine what type of variety to plant. Each fruit has a matching soil type and a soil scientist would be able to determine that for you.

It has been suggested that an orchard with the same type of trees are easier to manage. The ease comes from the uniformity. If you are applying manure, pesticides or other farming practice activity, you can do that enmass. You will not have to discriminate between the trees. This way you can work faster and also reduce expenses by buying wholesale for a large application.

You may want to prune your trees to allow for better aeration. You will need to cut off excess braches so tat they do not block out too much sunlight that the plant needs. Again if the trees are close to each other, then the excess branches can interfere in the growth of the adjacent trees.

Orchards need good supply of water. The soil is constantly exposed to sunlight and may dry up. Again, the trees require water for blossoming. You can use a regular mechanical sprinkler if you have a large farm. For a small farm, you can just dig paths through the orchard and then cause water to flow them to water the ground. This type of irrigation would only work if you have gently sloping terrain.

There are some places in the country where orchards will do best. You may want to try Minnesota and California. In California there are special regions to target. Santa Ynez, Santa Barbara, San Luis and Anderson Valley. These areas have developed infrastructure for the cultivation of orchards and the weather is warm there.

If you wanted to acquire an orchard, you will need to thoroughly appraise the investment to determine its suitability in every aspect. You can do it yourself or get the services a professional orchard appraiser. The appraiser will among other things look at your intended use of the orchard and advise which one to buy. For example if you are buying for hobby purposes, you will be told what species to buy and in what area to buy. If for economic reasons, you will also be told which types sell best, at better price and are less resistant to diseases. If you are buying for eventual resale you will be told what variety to plant, how to manage the land and how to get a buyer for your orchard.

Jan writes for HorseClicks Properties, classifieds of horse property listed for sale in Tennessee, including Tennessee farms and Tennessee land.