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Other SSI Orchards
Other SSI Orchards
- The Tsolum River Nursery,
301 Mansell Road,
Salt Spring Island, V8K-1P9,
250-537-5269 is now managed by Stephan Pigeon.
A source of over 500 varieties of heritage fruit trees formerly owned by the Canadian Heritage Seed Foundation but now owned locally by Dan Jason.
- Charlie Eagle,
176 Tripp Road. 537-4319
A scion wood orchard for Tsolum River of at least 350 varieties of fruit trees.
- Bob Weedon,
140 Whims Road.
537-5403
An orchard of at least 100 heritage varieties owned by Bob Weedon, whose interest is in old historical varieties.
Articles written:
- A Sampling of Salt Spring Orchards, The Cider Press, Vol 9, Number 1, Winter 1996, The B. C. Fruit Testers Association
- Heritage Apples of Vancouver Island Area, A project with the BCFTA to photograph and document about 125 of the existing heritage apples trees on Vancouver Island.
- The old Ruckle farm,
A beautiful 1200 acres parcel of land on the southeast tip of Salt Spring, started in 1876. It had over 600 fruit trees. Some of the old trees still exist, but a very interesting thing has happened.
The Ruckle family has donated most of the farm (the non farming portion) to the province as a provincial park called Ruckle Park. The entrance is through a ridge of mature timber, then down into the valley which is the working farm, then up through another ridge of forest and through to the seashore.
It is unique since campers must park in the lot and walk about 50 m through the forest to the clearing on the shoreline where tents are pitched anywhere. The spectacular view of the BC Ferries passing has the Canadian Gulf Island and the American San Juan Islands in the background. As long as the Ruckle family exists they can remain there and work the farm.
There have been suggestions that this would be a perfect location to create some new heritage orchards which could have a strong educational impact within the park.
- The old Brown Orchard,
Beaver Point Road,
Also one of the first on Salt Spring, this large original orchard, adjacent to the Ruckle farm, has trees approaching 100 years old. (managed by Mark Fettis - 653-4411)
- Wayne Goodwill
350 Dukes Road,
- The old England Orchard,
664 Beddis Road.
(managed by Tom Roughsedge and Sam Sidneysmith - 537-1007)
- Don MacDougall,
2191 North End Road. 537-5123
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