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Wills Family Farm

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United States
Mazon, IL
Wills Family Farm

We're a family run pumpkin patch, apple and fruit orchard in our inaugural seasons. Check back soon for weekend hours on the farm this October.

For our 2019 season, we have blackberries, apples, and pumpkins of all varieties for sale at farmer's markets. Thank you to everyone who came out this past Fall 2014 to pick pumpkins, gourds, mums and more in our first season open to the public. We hope to keep the family tradition going with an orchard full of fruit to add to the fun this Fall. Keep an eye on our page for the latest updates on how our crops are growing. We hope to open to the public again late Summer/early Fall of 2015!

Address

3375 E Spring Road
Mazon, IL
60444

Telephone

(815) 416-9050

Website

facebook.com

Products

Blackberries, apples, pumpkins and gourds grown on our farm. Sometimes also selling locally grown sweet corn from the Mark Wills farm.

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Welcome to our Family Farm

How Did this Get Started?

On the way home from one of our annual trips to Shipshewana, Indiana we stopped at an apple orchard. It was our first time visiting a family orchard, and we couldn't believe the number of people who were there picking apples as a family, feeding the animals, and riding on homemade trains pulled by tractors. The warm apple cider donuts were the best!

We returned home to Illinois where the Wills Family Farm was established in the 1930's. It has plenty of land and a rich family heritage. Three generations of the Wills family have farmed the land, and corn and beans are still planted here annually. As the current generation managing the farm, we wanted to introduce something new, and that visit to the family apple orchard in Indiana never left our minds.

After conducting research and testing the soil in a local lab, we discovered that the sandy soil on the farm was ideal for fruit trees. We decided then to try our hand at growing an orchard of our own. We chose the name Apple Creek Orchard in honor of our main crop and the Mazon Creek that runs through the farm property.

We started out in 2009 expecting to plant around 50 tress. By 2010, that number grew to 225 trees! We've continuously added trees every year. We're now up to around 500 and the children (and future inheritors) tell us we're not allowed to plant anymore!

The trees planted include 13 apple varieties. Some favorite varieties are honey crisp, granny smith, and crown empire. Each year we are trying new things and in past seasons we’ve successfully grown pears, peaches, and even harvested our own honey. We also enjoy teaming up with cousin Mark Wills to sell his famous sweet corn at farmers markets and road side stands throughout the Coal City area. In 2019 we’ll be selling blackberries for the first time! In addition, we’ve also planted orange and white pumpkins in every size and a wide variety of gourds. During u-pick hours (weekends in October) you can come out and cut your own pumpkin from the vine before filling a wagon full of apples.

We've now visited dozens of orchards across the Midwest and East Coast researching and observing how they work. We love to see how many of them are family operations, run by grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren. It is our dream to make the orchard a family tradition as well. Our sons, daughters and grandsons have helped us through every step of the journey from planting, watering, pruning, and harvesting to selling our first pumpkins on the farm for the 2014 season. Our first bountiful harvest of apples was given away to friends and family at the celebration of our daughter's marriage in October 2013 and every year since we’ve been working hard to bring our neighbors and friends the best, local, fall produce possible.

We invite you to follow us here for upcoming farmers markets in the Coal City area or to come visit us on the farm during weekends in October. Our family looks forward to meeting and serving your family this fall on the Wills Family Farm.

See you at the farm!

Dennis & Karen Wills Owners & Orchard Keepers