Despite a dry summer and the COVID-19 pandemic, Campbell’s Orchards is looking forward to a fruitful fall picking season.
Colin Campbell, owner of Campbell’s Orchards, says despite hot and dry temperatures plaguing the summer this year, the apples at Campbell’s are coming in just fine.
“Macintosh are fantastic, Paula Reds look really good, the Empires are loaded. Honey Crisp are light for us this year, but we’re going to have enough I hope. Pears look good. These last few rains have really been a lifesaver.”
In order to keep up with provincial COVID-19 health and safety regulations, Campbell says they’ve had to make a series of changes around the farm. The apple market is outside and things that were being sold inside the store that could be moved out, were. Sunday marked the first day of apple picking tractor rides on what Campbell called the “Covid Express”.
It’s a tractor pulling a bin outfitted with seats and plexiglass so people can get a lift out to the apples that are in season, in style and safety.
Campbell also said they’re expanding the width of the corn maze lanes this year from five feet to seven feet, so people can safely pass and practice social distancing.
Some of the challenges, he said, are his staff having to wear masks all day and that sometimes masks can make it difficult to communicate. Campbell says not only are they not worried about having a slow picking season, but he’s wary of perhaps running into similar issues as Sandbanks, where people have lined up in the morning for weeks forcing a cap on capacity most days before noon.
There are 23 different varieties of apples and eight types of pears at the 12 -acre orchard. Apple picking season falls typically during September and October. For more information on operations, see the Campbell’s Orchard website.
