By Jamie Salter
It’s apple harvest season at Sherwood Park Orchard and the wider community is invited to take home an abundance of locally grown fruit ripe for the picking.
Owners Ross and Tara Cheesewright started their Bunyip business 12 years ago after chasing a tree change.
The pair took over an existing orchard that had shut down, starting off producing just a couple boxes of apples.
Ross said it took a couple years to get his clientele built up and to learn how to grow an orchard.
“The first year was a total disaster because we had black spot but we sprayed them the next year and did okay, and then the year after we had a really good crop,“ Ross said.
The core of the business is it’s pick your own experience where locals can roam the orchard and hand pick their fruit.
Tara said apple picking has grown more and more popular as the years go on.
“We put feelers our there and realised there was a market for it and it got families and day-trippers together,“ Tara said.
“We have people all year round asking when apple picking starts, a lot of people don’t realise it only happens once a year.“
The pick your own service gives people the opportunity to connect with the land, with most visitors showing a keen interest in where their food comes from.
The orchard boasts free entry for those who want to give picking a go, as Ross and Tara keep affordability for families at the front of mind.
“We like to make it economic for families too, they just pay for what they pick,“ Tara said.
Although everyone is welcome to enjoy the property, the duo laughed about some guests making themselves a bit too comfortable.
“There are some people who have gone wandering further afield and picked my rhubarb and kumquat,“ Tara said.
The apples have proved popular as a staple food item that can last for about a month out of the fridge.
Sherwood Park Orchard sells apples for $4kg including Pink Lady, Sundowner and Granny Smith varieties.
Ross said there was a process that needed to be followed to grow the juicy and crisp apples.
“In late August we spray the only pesticide we use to clear little mites and things harbouring in the bark over winter, because if you don’t deal with them before spring they will start attacking the new growth,“ he said.
“In September the blossoms start coming out and baby apples start to grow.
“By October the trees are covered in blossoms and we spray a little bit of fungicide to prevent black spot.
“In December the weather changes, the apples get their shiny skin, and it’s just watering over December, January, February and then the apple season starts.“
The orchard also has a bakery café and a general store full of artisan produce straight from farmers across Victoria.
Tara said she puts herself out there at markets and trade shows to meet new producers.
“If we like their product we will advertise it and that’s why people come because everything is unique to the supermarket and they want to support local farmers,“ Tara said.
Ross said it was a way for people to get their favourite market foods whenever their stocks run low.
“They don’t have to wait for market day when they want a top up of their favourite jam,“ he said.
The business has grown from the ground up and now has a brand new patisserie chef to help out at the café.
Tara said a highlight of running the orchard has been watching her business expand over the years.
“We didn’t have money behind us to start up an established business so we started small,“ she said.
“Even recently I was doing all the baking, but now we have a lot more staff on the books and are offering young people in university first time jobs.
“Watching them grow and develop has been amazing and as well as seeing the support from the community over the years.“
Another perk to the business has been tasting the delicious meals visitors have created with the Cheesewright’s apples.
“Everybody makes something different, they bring their dishes in to show us and they all have their cultural point of difference,“ Tara said.
With the business also their home address, Ross and Tara had to learn how to manage a work life balance over time.
“We make sure we go away every school holidays for a couple days because we’ve realised if we don’t leave the property we don’t switch off,“ Tara said.
Ross agreed that a slow and steady growth was the key to their success.
“It is a problem because you could work all day and it still won’t be enough but being patient is really important and not getting too far ahead of ourselves.“
As well as apples, Ross and Tara have 1,000 cherry trees that are getting closer and closer to their first harvest and will eventually join the pick your own experience.
Sherwood Park Orchard will soon expand its café dining space to accommodate for more visitors, which was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The couple offered a word of advice for anyone wanting to grow their own apple trees.
“Don’t be put off, we had two apple trees in Oakleigh and never had an apple off it,“ Ross said.
“We had never successfully grown an apple in our lives and now we have more than 300 trees to look after.“
