CRESTON, B.C. – With imagination and plenty of hard work Michael and Bibiane Sproule have built a fruit farm from scratch and made it a popular tourist destination in Creston.
Named the Blueberry Patch, the 12 acre farm offers a combination of U-pick fruits, a specialty products store and a cozy diner serving deli sandwiches and homemade fruit desserts.
People interested in agritourism or selling products at the farmgate must realize the workload is heavy. Also the growing season in southeastern British Columbia can be unpredictable, said Michael, who came from a southern Alberta ranch and feedlot operation.
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“It’s a major commitment for a farmer to do this,” he said. “A lot would rather not do this because there are too many challenges in the area, with late frosts.”
The farm is the only one in the area growing blueberries. Creston was once a large apple growing region but poor returns encouraged many growers to switch to Lapin cherries, a hardy, late season variety.
The mainstays of the farm are a blueberry patch, a cherry orchard and a 630 sq. metre greenhouse called the Strawberry Pavilion where people can pick hydroponically grown strawberries from the end of May till October.
“The Chamber of Commerce is good. When it is raining they tell people on the radio to go pick strawberries,” Sproule said.
When they started the farm in 1999, they explored the internet for alternative crops.
“We had to grow something on this land besides hay,” he said.
They were interested in blueberries and cherries and were able to find hardy varieties for the area. There was government advice on growing their new crops but when it came to marketing and product development, they had to research the possibilities themselves.
The strawberry greenhouse idea came from a grower in Florida. The strawberries are grown in special planters suspended in towers and fed fertilizer and water from an overhead trickle irrigation system. The Sproules plant 16,000 new strawberries imported from the United States each year.
The farm is open for U-pick for all the fruit, as well as selling a farm experience with a restaurant, store and outdoor activities. Hired staff is kept to a minimum.
“It was a lot more fulfilling to do it ourselves,” he said.
Local and homemade products
The store is a showplace and was converted from an old barn and hayshed.
Bibiane was a retail manager who spent time at the West Edmonton Mall. Together they developed an old-fashioned atmosphere offering homemade jams, jellies, teas, syrups and kitchen goods displayed on antique furniture. While they take some products on consignment, many of the jams come from Bibiane’s kitchen.
The most recent venture has been an on-line store. People who visited the farm return via the website and order more products. The farm is three kilometres from the U.S. border so they can drive across to an Idaho post office and mail U.S. orders from there.
Products are priced at what they believe provides a fair return and they sell out every year.
“When you price things, you put it at a place where it is fair for you and the buyer,” Sproule said.
Visitors include local patrons as well as seniors’ groups and families looking for a quiet afternoon outdoors where they can pick fruit or enjoy the children’s play area. With indoor and outdoor dining, the farm can accommodate 50 people. During the height of the picking season, the farm is packed with people of all ages.
“People like to do something, eat something and sit and relax. They are looking for a quiet place nobody else has discovered,” he said.
The operation runs from March to December five days a week, leaving them time to home-school their two daughters, Abigail, 10 and Brienna, 6.
