We will be CLOSED Sunday 08/30 & Monday 09/01!

Thank you so much to everyone who came out today and picked our Liberty apples! They are one of our favorites! So many of you enjoyed your Saturday afternoon with us and picked our Liberty apples clean! Therefore, we will not be open on Sunday or Monday as there are no other varieties ready for harvesting this weekend.

We have so many apples and peaches that are getting ready and you all will be able to enjoy a bountiful harvest in the coming weeks! Thank you so much for your understanding and support! Happy Labor Day!

LABOR DAY WEEKEND CHANGE IN HOURS!

After evaluating our crop tonight, only Liberty apples are ready for harvesting this weekend. As a result, we have had to make changes to our hours for the holiday weekend. Thank you for understanding and for your patience as Mother Nature continues to prepare the rest of our crop.

Our late fall varieties including Fuji, Granny Smith, Stayman Winesap, Golden Delicious, Arkansas Black & more all look fantastic and bountiful and should be at their peak for picking from late September through October (depending on the variety).

Remember to check our picking report to the right for an up-to-the-minute status of our availability!

In case of rain...

Happy weekend to you all! We were blessed with some good rain this morning and there is more forecast for this weekend! So here is the scoop...in case of rain...

*We will be open - rain or shine!

*We will still have our famous peach slushies and cherry cider slushies and Prairie Fire BBQ!

*If it is actively raining, the hay-rack will not be running for safety reasons! Wet wood is very slippery. The hay-rack ride will resume when the rain has stopped and the wood has dried out.

*It is only a 7-10 minute walk to the back orchard. If you have children, you may want to bring an all-terrain wagon!

*Bring your umbrella or rain gear!

*Be prepared to get muddy! It is not that wet this morning but the potential is there for it to get muddy in the low spots! We are not envisioning walking through mud up to your knees, just getting your shoes and the hem of your jeans muddy a bit! So dress accordingly!

*Have some fun with singing in the rain!

We have discovered that fruit picks the same in the sunshine and in the rain. You still twist & lift and the fruit still tastes yummy! We have also discovered that with an umbrella, you don't really get wet while picking your fruit! And we know that if you are coming for the experience of having some good old-fashioned fun with your family and enjoy some fresh, home-grown fruit, you will find it here at Wagon Wheel Orchard, rain or shine!

Half-Price Peach Seconds on Sunday!

WOW! We just got back from vacation to find the peaches in overdrive! Last week was good for the peaches with the hot hot hot humid weather and the 3 inches of rain! We have SO many huge peaches that our limbs are going to break if they aren't picked soon!

We will be open as scheduled from 1:00pm-6:00pm on Saturday, August 9! So brave the heat, pick your peaches, and let the warm juices run down your chin as you chow down on your pickings all the way home!

And we have decided to go ahead and extend our hours this weekend and open from 4:00pm-6:00pm on Sunday, August 10 (we were originally scheduled to be closed that day). If you are a peach-canner or baker and would like to pick up pre-picked seconds for half price, Sunday is your day! First come, first served! When they are gone, well...they are gone! You can still come out and pick your own, too, but we will not be running the slushie machine or heating up the grill! Sunday is for the folks who just want the fruit! See you this weekend! Till then, it is fair week! Watch the posts for information on our entries!

Our first visitors!

We were so thrilled to welcome the Dwyer family of Gardner, KS as our very first visitors on opening day! They were here a few minutes early and got to watch our grand opening "ceremony"! They also got to pick the very first peaches! Thank you for sharing our special day with us! We know how long you have been waiting for that fresh fruit!

Thank you to everyone who visited on opening day!

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to open Wagon Wheel Orchard to the public!

It brought tears to our eyes to have Rick's grandma hang that open sign. She was so proud!

We had great weather and great customers! It was so nice to greet everyone who came to visit. We love getting to know the people who are enjoying the fruit from our trees. The peach and cherry cider slushies were a hit as were the honey straws and the Prairie Fire BBQ!

We are working hard now to irrigate the rest of the peach trees so they will be ready to pick in a couple of weeks! Keep checking back for highlights from our opening day as we prepare to open for the rest of the peach harvest! Happy trails!

Whacha need to know before you come out!

If you are coming out tomorrow to help us celebrate our GRAND OPENING, here are a few things you should know!

• We only have a very limited quantity of peaches available for picking on Sunday, 07/13.
• Picking 101 - the proper way to pick tree fruit is to twist gently and lift up - do not pull down on the fruit or you will damage the fruit and the tree.
• We take cash and checks payable to Wagon Wheel Orchard.
• Parking is limited so please park to allow as many vehicles in as possible.
• The Trading-Post shop will be open whether there is fruit for picking or not.
• We'll have hay rack rides to tour the orchard.
• Prairie Fire BBQ will have combo meals and a la carte items available from 10am-1pm.
• We do have a porta-potty with hand sanitizer.
• You may wish to bring bug spray and sun screen.
• If you have little ones, you may want to bring a wagon.
• We are a "working" farm. Equipment, implements and supplies may be laying about. Please do not disturb.
• We do have neighbors and ask that you respect their privacy and property.
• Enjoy watching the horses on the neighboring property. Please do not feed them. They do not belong to us and are not ours to feed.
• We will identify trees with fruit ready for picking by tying a ribbon to the end of a branch. Please do not pick fruit from any other trees even if it might look ripe.
• Many of our trees and plants are very young. To keep them safe and healthy so you can enjoy picking from them in the future, please do not touch them unless you have been taken there to pick.
• Enjoy the gourd maze during your tour of the back orchard but please do not touch any plant growing at the base of the maze walls - these are the gourd plants that give the gourd maze its name.
• Our chickens are for laying eggs. We are supporting the older ones in their quest to become ugliest chicken at the JoCo Fair. There is nothing wrong with them, they are just molting and are supposed to look that way.

We appreciate all of your continued support as we work to create a fun, family-friendly orchard!