Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 19, 2016)
August 19, 2016 CapitalPress.com Janae Sargent/Capital Press Phillip and Kristin Haworth started their cider apple nursery, Cider Babies, in 2014, two months before they got married, as a way to build something together. Newlyweds start cider apple nursery By JANAE SARGENT Capital Press While many couples spend their honeymoons on the beach or in a hotel, newly- weds Phillip and Kristin Ha- worth spent their honeymoon searching for graftwood for their cider apple nursery, Ci- der Babies. The Haworths started Cider Babies in 2014, two months before they got mar- ried. The operation started with 1,000 trees in their back- yard and has grown to 7,500 on a separate property with plans to expand further. Graftwood is from a tree that is collected and added to a host tree that has already been planted. When it is graft- ed onto the host tree, the two species grow together to make a single plant. Cider babies is a bare-root cider apple tree nursery out- side Salem, Ore. They sell specialty cider apple trees to individuals and businesses that grow their own apples. Phillip Haworth grew up on his father’s nursery outside Gaston, Ore. After going to college and spending most of his life in a day job, he start- ed thinking about something he could do with Kristin that would get him out from behind a desk. He read an article about ci- der apples that said the biggest limitation on the cider industry was the lack of cider-speciic apples. “I just thought ‘Hey, I can do that.’ And we went for it,” he said. Kristin explained that cider apples aren’t a product people would eat. They have a lot of quirky qualities and produce only every two to three years, so they are unattractive to many big nurseries and or- chards. Phillip said the biggest in- terest he has seen in their trees is from individuals who have day jobs and are interested in being a part of the industry out of their love for it. The Haworths mainly sell to regional cideries but have also sold trees to customers in Iowa, Michigan and Colorado. “I call us a boutique nurs- ery because we’re small and our product is a little bit expen- sive,” she said. “But it’s just a different way of growing.” Kristin, who had no expe- rience in nurseries, said she is just happy to spend time with Phillip learning about the trees. Kristin and Phillip still work full-time jobs away from the nursery so they spend most of their nights and weekends on their property working. Haworth said he hasn’t thought far enough ahead to think about how much he wants the nursery to grow, and is enjoying being a part of the industry. N16-4/#6 13
