KRETSCHMANN FARM TOUR

Kretschmann Farm, operated by Don and Becky Kretschmann, family, and workers, has been providing Pittsburgh area customers with organically grown produce and fruit since 1972.

One of the oldest organic growers in western PA, we have always grown strictly organically on our 80 acres. We are certified organic with OEFFA. We believe in no magic formulas, but try to encourage life everywhere we can. We fertilize most heavily with the farmer’s footsteps, keeping our operation diverse and simple. We try to give service and value to our customers and to stay humble enough to change.

For many years, most of our produce was marketed directly to consumers at farmers’ markets. We now offer produce subscriptions via our CSA to be delivered to your neighborhood. Check our website www.kretschmannfarm.com

Thank you for coming to visit our farm. The tour has been set up to be self guided. Don and Becky will be available to answer questions throughout the day. Follow the numbers (or not) and read the explanations as you walk. Longer walks are encouraged but be aware that going downhill means you have to walk back up and the hills don’t get less steep on the upsideJ Please look at the farm map before you start. Please do not walk in the fields. Do’s and don’t’s:

Don’t forget to bring your hat and water bottle.

Do avoid the fences – they are electric, though Don promised they’re off.

If you make it to the bottom of the hill you will find our irrigation pond. It is VERY DEEP and drops off very suddenly. Do walk nearby, but don’t try to wade or swim.

The Buildings-Oldest to Newest (yellow on map)

--The red roofed shed to the right is the original carriage shed for the farm. When we moved here in 1979 it was in bad repair. It is most likely the oldest building on the farm, dating approximately to the 1870s. We have found axes used to shape the large logs used in building the barn along with various remnants from horse and buggy days. We hired a group of Amish carpenters in 2000 to make repairs before replacing the roof to match the house roof.

--The barn dates from the 1890s. The front part is the “old” portion with the back area added later. Masterfully joined, many of these timbers were likely cut from the farm. Some beams still retain their bark. Beams show the marks of the axes used to shape them. The upper barn is now the storage area for supplies and tractors. (PLEASE do not allow children on the tractors or machinery!) The lower barn is the packing, washing area for the veggies. There are two walk in coolers and various machines for washing and sorting. Our favorite is the torpedo shaped carrot washer behind the barn. It is simple, but it works. The bottom of the barn is transformed each summer into the CSA assembly line, filling crates with all variety of produce from the field. Check out the fieldstone walls and beams.

--Greenhouse was added in 1985 to broaden season. Originally we grew lots of flowers to wholesale. This is the heated area where we begin all of our vegetable plants in late winter and early spring. We move the plants to the nearby hoophouse to harden them off before planting outside. This way the plants acclimate gradually to outdoor temperatures. In the summer, we remove all plants and roast out any insects waiting to attack next spring’s plantings.

--The house is largely the gift of our neighbors and friends. Ash Wednesday, 1989 the original old farmhouse burned. We never thought we'd do more than remodel an old house. Drawn first on block paper, then translated by a friend into blueprints, work began in March. Neighbors cleared rubble and helped excavate. Friends helped lay footers. We hired neighbors to do masonry and framing. Others from church did the plumbing and electrical. Brothers and friends put on the roof. All this, in between farming! In October, the plan was to work full time on the house and move in before snowfall. Then Don fell from the barn roof and was told 6 mo. off minimum. While still in the hospital, neighbors asked what needed to be done to move in: insulation, a little plumbing, and drywall. "Don't worry, we'll get it done," was the reply. We moved in days ahead of a big snowstorm the week before Christmas--two bedrooms, a kitchen and a bath completed. We just nailed our first Christmas tree right to the living room subfloor. We worked all winter completing the downstairs, sometimes from a wheelchair.

Apples (orange on map)

The first block of 100 trees near the house was planted in 1985. All varieties are scab immune or resistant. They include Prima, Priscilla, Liberty and Jonafree. There is a wide walkway down the middle of the orchard to allow more sunlight and airflow to the trees. A second block of trees was planted farther down this same hillside in 1996. More disease resistant varieties were added with the majority being Liberty, but including Pristine (just starting to ripen), Priscilla, Redfree, Jonafree, Williams Pride, and Gold Rush. The third block of trees is on the farthest hill beyond the pond and up, up, up. It is a trellised orchard planted in 2006 containing mostly Gold Rush and our own grafts of Pristine on fire blight resistant root stock. Also, a few pear trees.