About
The story of Bluestem Orchard LLC began with the purchase of 22 acres of neglected pastureland in Pottawatomie Co. in August 2016. The original plan was to build a shop to have a place to do woodworking projects so the shavings and sawdust wouldn’t continue to coat the family living space as had been the case in the previous three houses.
An unexpected chance to take early retirement led to a revisit of the land use plan where God’s inspiration brought the idea of serving Him in a non-traditional setting. The separation payment covered the initial building cost and the first thousand trees. My 80-year-old parents made a huge investment of support during our early efforts, planting trees and bringing water by bucket and garden hose from the nearby pond.
Despite heavy initial tree losses (deer, grasshoppers, pests, nutrient deficiencies) and weather setbacks (droughts, winds, deluges, hail, etc), we developed systems that worked for our location and our plantings began to flourish.
The arrival of two incredible partners – Janice and Dan – and a steady stream of high school, college students and volunteers have grown the scope and offerings of the orchard by leaps and bounds.