About Farming

From southern California, to central Washington, clear to the Canadian border, Stemilt grows tree fruits in the very best sites to maximize the growing conditions for every variety. Stemilt’s entire crop of apples, pears, stone fruits and the majority of its cherries are grown throughout eastern Washington.

While western Washington is known for its rain, eastern Washington is home to 300 days of sunshine and four true seasons each year. The arid climate combines with volcanic soils and a plentiful water supply to create an ideal growing environment for each of the unique fruit varieties that Stemilt farms.

Stemilt's Orchard Scrapbook

Applying compost to apple trees on Stemilt Hill

Take our cherry orchards, for instance. Stemilt has orchards at both varying altitudes and varying latitudes - enabling us to harvest cherries throughout the summer. Because of its proximity to the equator, California’s cherry season gets an early start in May. Once California wraps up, Stemilt picks up harvest in southcentral Washington. The crop slowly creeps up north to Stemilt Hill and Kyle Mathison’s Amigos operation - neighboring locales that sit on the premier cherry grounds in the world. Here, drastic elevation increases (1,200 to 3,500 ft.) stretch Stemilt’s cherry season into late August.

Beyond the physical locations of our orchards, Stemilt relies on the knowledge of experienced horticulturists to implement the best growing practices, including:

Progressive tree pruning and thinning programs to ensure proper fruit size, shape and quality. Pruning also increases airflow and maximizes the amount of sunlight that reaches each piece of fruit.
Use of reflective ground color to enhance colors of varietal apples
During harvest, every piece of fruit is handpicked from the tree to reduce bruising and maintain the highest fruit quality
Use of knip trees (young trees with a developed root system) and trellis systems to quickly bring trees into production delivers greater return to the land
Micro-sprinklers and drip irrigation provides nourishment to trees in a manner that conserves water
Soil testing and low-input farming methods promote soil fertility
Strict quality control to ensure proper maturity for each fruit type