​Lopez Island Heritage Apple Orchard

Lopez Island Heritage Apple Orchard

The intent of the MG Heritage Apple Orchard on Lopez is to be an educational demonstration orchard that features historic, heritage apple varieties where Master Gardeners provide community education on pruning, disease and pest management, fruit tree propagation, and more.

The orchard site is located on San Juan County park land between the Lopez Island History Society Museum and Lopez Village. The Lopez Island Historical Society provides water for the orchard through a drip irrigation system.

Master Gardeners grafted 27 heritage trees in spring 2016 with the help of Madrona Murphy, botanist with Kwaiht. Her work identifying heritage apples varieties and instruction in propagation has been of great importance to this project. The grafted trees spent two years growing in a nursery bed in a Lopez Master Gardener's yard. The trees were planted March 2018.

Apple varieties include:

Gravenstein
Fameuse or Snow
King
Twenty Ounce Pippin
Russett or Leather Coat
Blue Pearmain
Banana
Pumpkin Pound Sweet
Rhode Island Greening

The project receives financial support for installation from the Lopez Thrift Shop, Lopez Island Garden Club, the Master Gardener Foundation, and a large San Juan County Lodging Tax grant.