EMMETT, Idaho — Tyler's Rocky Point Orchard in Emmett allows guests to pick their own buckets of produce.
- Tyler's Rocky Point Orchard is all you pick!
- They grow 12 different apples plus other produce throughout the year.
- All produce is sprayed with reduced-risk pesticides that only affect bugs.
- For more information on Orchard click here.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
"I'd like to see it stay like it is as long as possible. It's one of the last places like it around," said Scott Tyler, co-owner of Tyler's Rocky Point Orchard.
Harvest season is one of the biggest times of the year for Rob Tyler and his son Scott. Their 15-acre orchard begins attracting folks who are looking for a fun outdoor experience picking apples.
It all started when Scott was studying geology at BSU.
Scott continued, "My geology professor owned it and wanted to sell the place. So that's how it became known to us."
Recalling the beginning, Rob said, "We didn't really want to go into farming. But, the guy who was farming it when we bought the place leased it to me for a dollar a year for two years, and then they had a big hailstorm, it wiped out his cherry crop and he just quit. So we had to either cut down all the trees or farm it."
So the father-son duo got to work. Rob cleaned up the landscape while Scott picked up tree grafting and even began beekeeping.
"We have a little bit of help. But, it's mostly just my pop and I doing it together," added Scott.
Rob continued, "We like to keep the place looking like a city park. It attracts customers. They like to have picnics up here and bring their kids. The kids play."
The orchard grows 12 different types of apples as well as cherries, plums, peaches, and apricots throughout the year. But, growing these fruits hasn't always been smooth sailing.
"It has been about 10 years ago now. It took us a long time to recover from that," said Scott.
During the 2014-2015 season, the orchard lost a good portion of the crop to a major freeze.
Scott sighed saying, "That was a rough few years there, waiting for things to regrow."
But, things have a way of working out, and folks once again began to drive out to the hillside property for fresh produce.
"It's a good feeling. A lot of these people have never been out in the open air, they're from the city. They come out here and are amazed. They keep coming back. I've had people come back and say I've been coming here since I was a little girl. Now they are an adult with their little girls," finished Rob.
