04/13/2026
Whew… WHAT. A. WEEK. Buckle up—this one’s a little long, but after the last 7 days, shortening it any more would be dishonest. The pictures and captions help, but they still don’t fully capture the chaos, progress, sore muscles, and what many would perceive as questionable life choices that happened this week. Best way to tell it is chronologically, so here goes.
Sunday 5-April
Yes, I know it was Easter Sunday, but with the week ahead, we just couldn’t afford a full day off. Honestly, we probably had more real fellowship working side by side than we would have otherwise. Main mission: sort and pot roughly 420 bare-root trees for sale, lay out the new orchard, and get as many of the 380 trees planted as possible. By 2 PM we declared victory on potting (we also ran out of our organic potting soil, so we didn't have a choice) and broke for lunch, thanks to Angie’s mom and sister keeping us fed before morale collapsed. By day’s end: all 140 high-density apple trees planted, everything watered in, first pickups organized, and temporary deer deterrents out. The extended family once again made the impossible possible.
Monday 6-April
Opening the barn doors felt like entering a botanical escape room—400 trees across 25 varieties covering nearly every inch of floor space. Huge thanks to the Hoffmans for helping Angie sort and alphabetize everything, which made order pickups much smoother all week. Meanwhile, I joined Angie’s uncle to haul our 3 steers to the butcher. Rookie moment: I expected drama from 1,200 lb cattle… they calmly walked right into the trailer like seasoned professionals. The rest of the day was pickups, orders, and trying to stay one step ahead of total disorder. Very thankful Angie had one last day off to help before the crazy week really kicked in.
Tuesday 7-April
Another 200 trees went into the ground, leaving only tart cherries to finish planting. The weather gave us all four seasons throughout the week, sometimes before lunch. I also checked in on the steers—the butcher said all three looked fantastic with an average weight of just under 1,200 lbs. I'll consider that success for my first time finishing off steers. Can't wait to taste them and decide which variety we are going to build a herd of. We wrapped up the evening getting inventory ready for my annual Michigan Department of Agriculture inspection, because nothing says relaxation like paperwork.
Wednesday 8-April
Inspection day. We had paperwork, invoices, inventory, and processes ready… and it paid off. SUCCESS. After about an hour reviewing everything and inspecting each tree, the inspector’s final words were: “Everything looks fantastic. Good job. We’ll see you next year.” By afternoon I had our certificate in hand. Best possible outcome, and a great validation of all the preparation behind the scenes. I also got the final trees planted before sunset—right before executing a very high speed chase with my side-by-side against a herd of deer sniffing around the new orchard. They apparently had gotten the memo about the upcoming fencing project and were just trying to keep me honest.
Thursday 9-April
With planting complete, it was time for fencing. Last fall I thought 35 posts was a solid start… turns out it wasn’t even close. The new orchard now has more than 120 fence posts and 2,300 linear feet of fencing around it, with room left inside for another 330 trees next spring. That evening I finally took a breath, prioritized the remaining tasks before the rainy weather rolled in, and started checking on the original orchard with pruning season now calling my name.
Friday 10-April
Spent the day wrestling 330-foot rolls of commercial deer fence while also playing chauffeur for the kids. One of those days where dinner happened after sunset and could have almost counted as breakfast for the next day. About 1,500 feet of fencing completed, with plans to finish Saturday.
Saturday 11-April
WOW—that was fun. Angie and I started early with a tree delivery to Suttons Bay (always love that drive), followed by a real breakfast out as repayment for the early wake-up call. Then it was back home for pickups. Once the first vehicle pulled in, it was nonstop customers for nearly an hour. Honestly, that was one of the best parts of the week—seeing the idea catch on and hearing everyone’s stories. After pickups, I finished the fencing, worked in the greenhouse, pruned trees, and got equipment put away just before dark… just in time to wonder why I was so tired.
The Weekly Totals
- 359 trees planted
- 179 trees sold in week one (9 more than all of last season)
-- We had customers from as far south as Detroit and as far north as Mackinaw City
- Original orchard prepped for growing season
- Deer fencing up and functional around the new orchard
- Two backs requesting immediate PTO
Still plenty left to do, but I’m beyond proud of the progress. This coming week I’ll let my back recover while I talk engineering and geek stuff at Space Symposium in Colorado. We’re hoping to open soon for drop-in orchard and greenhouse purchases. Stay tuned—and thank you again to everyone who helped make this happen.
