HARTSELLE, Ala (WHNT) — Off of Highway 36 in Hartselle, you can find Reeves’ Peach Farm.
It’s a family business, packed with history, juicy peaches, and tons of fresh produce.
The story starts in 1835, when the Reeves family settled down in Morgan County. However, the idea for fresh produce came later.
“My grandfather and his brothers were growing watermelons,” Mike Reeves said. He is a senior partner at the Farm. “They would just stack them up on the side of the road under some oak trees down here around Highway 36, and folks would stop and buy watermelons.”
Mike Reeves said that small entrepreneurship took off when the first peach seed was planted in 1959.
“We’re still farming on some of the same land my ancestors homesteaded in 1835,” he said. “So the land has an emotional attachment.”
Jackson Reeves, Mike’s son, is now a co-owner and fourth-generation peach farmer.
He shared all about the hard work, the highs and lows, and what it takes to have a plentiful and successful farm.
With peaches, he said it takes a few years to see your crop
“So, once we plant the tree on year two, you might see one peach or none on it,” he said. “Year three, you might pick a basket or two on it, and then year three and four, you might not have a full crop, but you’ll definitely have full crop by year four.”
The Reeves said each peach tree has different chill hours, which determine when it starts to bud and then bloom.
Although something you can never control is the weather.
“We can have a good crop of blooms of peaches, and it comes in and gets an unusually cold night or two, and it can take the whole crop out,” said Mike.
The Reeves said how long a peach gets to stay on the tree is what sets their product apart from store-bought.
In their case, they sell what they call “tree ripe peaches.
The farm-fresh produce brings in customers from all over.
“It’s hard to come through here without seeing somebody you know because we all grew up in Hartselle and a lot of our customers are from around here, so we’re familiar with a lot of them,” Jackson said. “We also have people that you recognize that are from Michigan and that come every year from Ohio on the way to the beach.”
The farm now offers just about any fruit or vegetable-related product you can imagine.
Although, as time goes on, the Reeves family said their core values behind the business will stay the same: family and growing fresh produce that people love.
“‘What more could you ask for, really?’ Jackson said. “I mean, you have your family start something years and years ago, and here you are doing the same thing today.”
This coming fall, The Reeves said they are planning to have pumpkin picking, corn mazes and offer hayrides.
You can visit the farm at 436 AL-36, Hartselle, AL 35640.
The post Growing the Valley: A visit to Reeves’ Peach Farm in Hartselle! appeared first on WHNT.
