Ontario, Canada is welcoming new developments and expansion in its fruit tree nursery industry. "The province has seen replanting programs for peach trees and apples as well as grapevines and that's helped," says Megan Haynes, vice president of Upper Canada Growers, a family-owned and operated fruit tree nursery located in Southern Ontario. She says that the demand for apple trees is steady and more recent events such as the weaker Canadian dollar have also helped fuel that interest in growing fruit in Ontario.
While Ontario has historically had popular regions for growing tree fruit such as the Niagara region, Windsor-Essex, Simcoe, and Elgin County in southern Ontario, Haynes says Upper Canada Growers is also getting more calls from newer growing regions, including in northern Ontario. "There are parts of the province where we have a lot of land and price-wise, in areas such as Essex and along Lake Erie, it's pretty reasonable. There is a lot of water access and our climate is really good so I think there's a lot more development there," she says. "There's also a lot of opportunity to change over from cash cropping because I think the cash croppers have had a few hard years."
These developments come at a time when Ontario has seen a colder, snowier winter which has been good for the province's fruit trees.
Newer variety development in Ontario
Growers in the province are also undergoing the change that many in the apple industry have seen–moving away from older varieties and instead planting club varieties that are more grower and consumer-friendly in terms of taste, shelf stability, and more. "For example, we have the Morgana apple from Europe that people are trying–it stores for 12 months. This way Ontario growers can supply the market longer instead of having to get imported fruit," says Haynes, adding that growers are also exploring processing possibilities for products such as baby food.
The combination of growing in new areas, changing climates, and planting new varieties also means that growers are investing in new infrastructure such as concrete posts and hail netting.
So while there are developments, growing interest in the province is not without its challenges. "Last year, for example, Washington flooded the Ontario market with apples and growers didn't get a good return so that's tough," she says.
Looking ahead, all of this is pushing Ontario's apple industry in a positive direction, says Haynes, noting other fruits such as peaches have flourished in recent years in the province too.
Ontario's 2024-2025 winter
All of this comes at a time when Ontario has seen a colder, snowier winter which has been good for the province's fruit trees. "The temperature also went down pretty slowly–it didn't drop suddenly and it hasn't gone up and down. It's also not gone into the extreme lows which kills things. The snow cover also protects the trees and can keep them warm," says Hayes.
Looking ahead, all of this is pushing Ontario's apple industry in a positive direction, says Haynes, noting other fruits such as peaches have flourished in recent years in the province too. "Since COVID, peaches have done really well in Ontario and people are becoming more aware of Canadian fruit and buying more of it," she says. "Also with the weather, people are growing in places where they have never grown before."
For more information:
Megan Haynes
Upper Canada Growers
Tel: +1 (289) 646-0737
https://www.uppercanadagrowers.ca/