Orchard
We are starting a new venture here at the La Crete Ag Society. The idea of starting an orchard was first introduced by a board director in the fall of 2017. Nothing happened until the Program Coordinator caught the vision after ordering some horticultural books for door prizes at a local garden tour event. One was titled, A History of Mennonite Gardens and Orchards in Russia and
Manitoba. Well, if having an orchard out behind the house was a Mennonite tradition, then we wanted to depict it in our museum village. A committee was formed and the vision broadened considerably. The board allotted a seven-acre parcel of land adjacent to the museum village for this project. A dugout was made as a natural water supply for the orchard irrigation system, a
game fence was installed, posts were installed for labeling the species, and we planted approximately 1350 fruit trees and bushes in 2022. Overwhelming? Yes! Exciting? Yes! We ate the first Norland apple in September of 2022! It was VERY good!
Mission Statement
Our goal is to develop an experimental orchard and share our learnings to promote health, food security, and economic growth in Northern Alberta.
La Crete Community Gardens
In 2022, the La Crete Agricultural Society developed 10 community garden plots with irrigation. It was a great success; it was beautiful, and so rewarding, to see the bounty that was harvested from these 10 plots by the local gardeners!
Plans for 2023 include the development of an additional five plots with irrigation. A washroom will be installed nearby and the area beautified. For more information call Susan at (780)928-4447.
2023 plans
- Plant additional fruit trees and shrubs (plums, cherries, currants, goose berries, goji berries, elderberries, rhubarb, etc…)
- Expand irrigation to the newly planted trees
- Complete the seeding of grass between the newly planted rows
- Install an outdoor washroom
- Maintain orchard
- Start Learnings booklet
- Update website
- Install a sign acknowledging contributors
Come and visit us in a few years to see what we’ve learned about which varieties survived the
best, which ones struggled, and which ones taste the best! We’ll be happy to share what we
learn about growing fruit trees in Northern Alberta!
We gratefully acknowledge the following contributors to the orchard's development.
- Abe Driedger
- ATB Financial
- Western Economic Diversification - Prairies Economic Development Canada - Canada Community Revitalization Fund
- Community Foundations of Canada - Canada Healthy Community Initiatives
- 2021 Grad Class
- John Derksen
- Mackenzie County
- North West Trenching LTD
- Norwood Transport
- UFA
- Peavey Mart
- Vision Credit Union
Manitoba. Well, if having an orchard out behind the house was a Mennonite tradition, then we wanted to depict it in our museum village. A committee was formed and the vision broadened considerably. The board allotted a seven-acre parcel of land adjacent to the museum village for this project. A dugout was made as a natural water supply for the orchard irrigation system, a
game fence was installed, posts were installed for labeling the species, and we planted approximately 1350 fruit trees and bushes in 2022. Overwhelming? Yes! Exciting? Yes! We ate the first Norland apple in September of 2022! It was VERY good!
Mission Statement
Our goal is to develop an experimental orchard and share our learnings to promote health, food security, and economic growth in Northern Alberta.
La Crete Community Gardens
In 2022, the La Crete Agricultural Society developed 10 community garden plots with irrigation. It was a great success; it was beautiful, and so rewarding, to see the bounty that was harvested from these 10 plots by the local gardeners!
Plans for 2023 include the development of an additional five plots with irrigation. A washroom will be installed nearby and the area beautified. For more information call Susan at (780)928-4447.
2023 plans
- Plant additional fruit trees and shrubs (plums, cherries, currants, goose berries, goji berries, elderberries, rhubarb, etc…)
- Expand irrigation to the newly planted trees
- Complete the seeding of grass between the newly planted rows
- Install an outdoor washroom
- Maintain orchard
- Start Learnings booklet
- Update website
- Install a sign acknowledging contributors
Come and visit us in a few years to see what we’ve learned about which varieties survived the
best, which ones struggled, and which ones taste the best! We’ll be happy to share what we
learn about growing fruit trees in Northern Alberta!
We gratefully acknowledge the following contributors to the orchard's development.
- Abe Driedger
- ATB Financial
- Western Economic Diversification - Prairies Economic Development Canada - Canada Community Revitalization Fund
- Community Foundations of Canada - Canada Healthy Community Initiatives
- 2021 Grad Class
- John Derksen
- Mackenzie County
- North West Trenching LTD
- Norwood Transport
- UFA
- Peavey Mart
- Vision Credit Union