Plan to join us for a full day of touring fruit and vegetable production at Garwood Orchards in LaPorte, IN on July 9. Garwoods is among the very best fruit and vegetable production operations in the Midwest, so you will not want to miss the opportunity to learn a few of their tricks of the trade.
FREE TO ALL! STUDENTS WELCOME!
The Garwoods currently farm about 350 acres of vegetables and 250 acres of fruit. Despite the large scale of their operations, the crops are very intensively managed with a high level of attention to detail.
Whether you are primarily interested in vegetable, tree fruit, or berry production, or in farm marketing, there will be plenty to see and learn.
The field day is free and open to all who are interested. While we encourage membership in the
For the Indiana Horticultural Society, the Indiana Vegetable Growers’ Association, and the Indiana Farm Market Association, membership is not required to attend.
Garwood Orchards is one of the largest and best-managed orchards in the state. It may seem puzzling that they can manage such a large operation so well. That’s why we’re visiting – not only to be inspired but also to learn a few of their tricks and see how they do it. They have aggressively planted new cultivars and crops and have been at the forefront of adopting new technologies. They are major producers of fruits and vegetables and have a sizeable farm market. U-pick has become an important part of their business.
It may seem like quite a drive to the meeting this year, especially for those in the southern parts of the state, but I’m confident you’ll pick up some good ideas to implement on your farm and leave feeling the trip was worthwhile.
Farm History
The main orchard land has been in the Garwood family since 1831, and the Garwoods have been fruit farmers since the 1920’s. Brothers Carl and Jim Garwood were instrumental in growing the business from the mid-50s to the mid-90s. These days, the farm is run by Brian Garwood along with his brothers Dave and Mike and his cousin Tom. While Carl is no longer involved in running the farm, he still finds plenty of mowing and other odd jobs to keep him busy. Brian, Dave, Mike, and Tom represent the 6th generation to run the farm. Despite the long history of Garwood Orchards, this is still very much a family business
Figure 1. High density apple orchard (Photo by Peter Hirst).
The Garwoods currently farm over 600 acres, which includes approximately 350 acres of vegetables and 250 acres of fruit. Since 2015, all new apple trees have been trained to tall spindles (approx. 13 x 3 feet spacing) and predominantly on B.9, B.10, G.11 and G.41 rootstocks. While a few of the older varieties still remain, the main apples grown now are ‘Gala’, ‘Honeycrisp’ and ‘EverCrisp’. Altogether, about 25 apple cultivars are grown, including several of the newer MAIA selections (‘Sweet MAIA’, ‘Ludacrisp’, ‘Rosalie’, ‘Scruffy’). About 14 acres of peaches are grown along with smaller acreages of other tree fruits such as Japanese plums, Asian pears and sweet cherries. These are sold primarily by U-pick.
Strawberries are a major crop at Garwoods with 23 acres in the ground, all planted on plastic. A range of cultivars is grown, resulting in a 7-week harvest season. Blackberries are grown on swing-arm trellises and sold via U-pick in July and August and then later in the season for the fall crop. Red raspberries are also popular with U-pickers.
Figure 2. Strawberries planted in plasticulture with straw in row middles (Photo by Peter Hirst).
Most of the vegetables are planted into plastic – black plastic in the early season to get them off to a fast start and then white plastic for plantings made after June 1 to avoid heat damage. Peppers are a major crop with 12 different kinds being produced, although bell peppers and jalapeños are the main ones. Cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes, and several other vegetable crops are also produced on the farm. Recently, a third vegetable packing line was added along with an automated bagger for peppers.
Figure 3. Peppers planted on raised beds covered with black plastic mulch (Photo by Peter Hirst).
If you talk to the Garwoods, they will tell you up-front that one of the secrets of their success is having great employees. They hire about 150 workers during the season, with about half of them through the H-2A program. In the off-season, this number drops to less than 20.
Over recent years, three things stand out as being key drivers to the business:
- Marketing fruits and vegetables through Piazza Produce
- Marketing fruits and vegetables to Walmart
- A reliable supply of high-quality H-2A labor
U-pick is becoming an increasingly important part of the business, along with school tours. The market at the farm includes a bakery, and fresh donuts are offered. Cider has become an important product for Garwoods, with over 20,000 gal/week produced during the summer and fall. Cider, apples, and vegetables are supplied to many farm markets across the state and beyond.
For more information, visit Garwood’s website
Program Schedule
NOTE: Garwood’s are on Central Daylight (Chicago) Time. Times listed are local time.
Thursday July 9
8:30 am Registration. Coffee and donuts.
9:00 am Welcome and Introductions. Orchard tour – tree fruit and small fruit.
11:30 am Introduction of Indiana Horticultural Society, the Indiana Vegetable Growers’ Association and the Indiana Farm Market Association
11:45 am Introduction of exhibitors
12:00 pm Lunch provided – cookout at the farm.
1:00 pm Field tour – vegetables
3:00 pm Farm marketing and tour of facilities
5:00 pm Conclude tour and depart