Meet the first commercial peach grower on PEI.
A story about Arlington Orchards
Peaches are most frequently associated with southern climates like Georgia and Florida but Barry Balsom hopes to change that.
Since founding Arlington Orchards with his wife Carole in 1993, Barry has always been on the lookout for new crops to enhance the taste experience visitors to his orchard can have. After hearing about the success of peach varieties geared toward a northern climate being grown in Michigan, he thought “why not on PEI?”
It took several years for Balsom to obtain permission to take 180 trees across the border, but they were planted in the spring of 2014. This fall marks the fourth year for the crop and as of early September, Barry said he was pleased with how the crop looked.
“This year was pretty dry but we seemed to get just enough rain,” he said.
Barry is confident his orchard will be producing peaches for a long time to come, noted the first year they were planted was the worst winter since records have been kept in the province in terms of snowfall.
The land that now comprises Arlington Orchards has been in agricultural production since the 1800’s. After the couple acquired the land and researching what crops might grow best, they settled on apples.
While there are 15 different types of soil on PEI, only two of them are suited to apple production. In fact, Barry boasts the farm has one of the best microclimates in the country for growing apples.
While apples remain the main crop with over 27 varieties hanging from the trees waiting to be picked each fall, the orchard also contains plum, cherry and pear trees in addition to the peaches.
Barry said he noticed an increase at his three farmer’s market locations across the Island as people have been spending more time at home during the pandemic and cooking more. While his product may grow on trees, Barry ultimately considers himself to be in the flavour business.
“Terms like ‘fresh’ and ‘local’ are used so often now the consumer often doesn’t know what they mean,” Barry said. “For us, it is real simple — “fresh” means it has been picked within the last day and “local” product comes from the Maritimes and most likely PEI.”
It is a message that has found a willing audience. While COVID-19 will call for some changes in the U-Pick operation, he is hoping it will still be a popular attraction this fall.
Most years, the operation is a beehive of activity for most of the fall, especially on the weekends. For several years, the farm has been partnering with the Red Oak Shriners Club to host a family fun day in September featuring children’s activities and a chance to pick some apples right off the tree.
Arlington Orchards has also been involved with PEI Open Farm Day since its inception back in 2001. The farm also plays host to a number of school and bus tours.
“So many people have lost a direct connection with farming, making it more vital than ever for us to explain to people what we do and how we do it,” Barry said.
