Established 1978
Harry's Peaches was established in 1978 when Harry Jackson decided to relocate to the Western Slope of Colorado. Originally from New Jersey, Harry had experience with row crops and some greenhouse cultivars but fruit trees were an entirely new adventure for him. He nursed the ancient Elberta trees until they could no longer produce a profitable crop. In 1985 he replanted with the current Glohaven, Jayhaven, and Suncrest trees. Later came the Angelus and most recently, the PF-25s. The PF stands for Paul Friday, the Michigan botanist that developed 24 varieties previously and several more after the 25th. All 5 varieties ripen around each other allowing us to have tree-ripe fruit from August 1 to September 15. Contact Harry Jackson if you have questions.
Harvest time in 1878 Location unknown.
Transition 2009
In March, 2009, Christina, Harry's daughter and her husband, Matt, moved back to the farm to start taking it over. It is rare that farms are passed on within generations in this modern era where most children of farmers would rather work in the city. Christina and Matt have dreams for the farm that include hosting events in the orchard and other agritourism attractions. They do not come to the farm with any children, just 10 chickens and 2 dogs. Read more about The Chickens and how to get farm fresh eggs
Irrigation in the Desert
Here in Western Colorado we live in a high desert so we see less than 9" of rain per year. Therefore we have sophisticated irrigation systems that are very efficient. Twice a year we flood our furrows in the aisles between the trees to water our cover crop of either rye, wheat, millet or oats. Then we switch over to microjet irrigation that waters the trees more effectively. We use water from the Colorado River to irrigate and it must spend some time in a settling pond before it's used.
Solar Power
What we do use the sun for, besides ripening the peaches, is to power our irrigation pumps and produce coolers. Thanks to modern technology and an assistance grant from the USDA, we installed photovoltaic panels in late 2009 to convert solar energy into electricity. That electricity is used to power the pumps necessary to irrigate and the coolers we use during harvest to keep the peaches cool before transporting them to Farmer's Markets. Sustainability is a goal around Harry's Peaches and the solar panels gave us the ability to generate our own power.
Other Crops
Harry used to grow Red and Golden Delicious apples, but decided to replant with wine grapes to compliment the existing vineyard. In 8 acres, we grow 3 different wine grapes. The vines are also watered using the microjet and drip irrigation systems. Christina, Harry's daughter harvests the ornamental choke cherries and Thompson seedless grapes for wine and jelly.
Internships Available for 2010
We are currently accepting applications from people interested in helping with our 2010 harvest. Please e-mail Christina Horn for more details. Internships include housing and a weekly stipend dependent on experience.
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Harry's Peaches was established in 1978 when Harry Jackson decided to relocate to the Western Slope of Colorado. Originally from New Jersey, Harry had experience with row crops and some greenhouse cultivars but fruit trees were an entirely new adventure for him. He nursed the ancient Elberta trees until they could no longer produce a profitable crop. In 1985 he replanted with the current Glohaven, Jayhaven, and Suncrest trees. Later came the Angelus and most recently, the PF-25s. The PF stands for Paul Friday, the Michigan botanist that developed 24 varieties previously and several more after the 25th. All 5 varieties ripen around each other allowing us to have tree-ripe fruit from August 1 to September 15. Contact Harry Jackson if you have questions.
Harvest time in 1878 Location unknown.Transition 2009
In March, 2009, Christina, Harry's daughter and her husband, Matt, moved back to the farm to start taking it over. It is rare that farms are passed on within generations in this modern era where most children of farmers would rather work in the city. Christina and Matt have dreams for the farm that include hosting events in the orchard and other agritourism attractions. They do not come to the farm with any children, just 10 chickens and 2 dogs. Read more about The Chickens and how to get farm fresh eggs
Irrigation in the Desert
Here in Western Colorado we live in a high desert so we see less than 9" of rain per year. Therefore we have sophisticated irrigation systems that are very efficient. Twice a year we flood our furrows in the aisles between the trees to water our cover crop of either rye, wheat, millet or oats. Then we switch over to microjet irrigation that waters the trees more effectively. We use water from the Colorado River to irrigate and it must spend some time in a settling pond before it's used.
Solar Power
What we do use the sun for, besides ripening the peaches, is to power our irrigation pumps and produce coolers. Thanks to modern technology and an assistance grant from the USDA, we installed photovoltaic panels in late 2009 to convert solar energy into electricity. That electricity is used to power the pumps necessary to irrigate and the coolers we use during harvest to keep the peaches cool before transporting them to Farmer's Markets. Sustainability is a goal around Harry's Peaches and the solar panels gave us the ability to generate our own power.
Other Crops
Harry used to grow Red and Golden Delicious apples, but decided to replant with wine grapes to compliment the existing vineyard. In 8 acres, we grow 3 different wine grapes. The vines are also watered using the microjet and drip irrigation systems. Christina, Harry's daughter harvests the ornamental choke cherries and Thompson seedless grapes for wine and jelly.
Internships Available for 2010
We are currently accepting applications from people interested in helping with our 2010 harvest. Please e-mail Christina Horn for more details. Internships include housing and a weekly stipend dependent on experience.
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