When you purchase a Desert Sweet Organic apple tree you can use any of the apples from your tree for personal consumption and to have packed into gift boxes and sent to whomever you wish. Since Valley Farms will buy back any and all apples you don’t plan to use, you can also use your tree to earn a return on investment. Typically, each tree produces approximately 200-lbs of apples each year. The trees have approximately 25 years of fruit-producing life, so your one-time purchase of the tree will be applied to many years of enjoying and sharing the apples.

Valley Farms will do all the picking, packing, storing, and shipping of your apples. Your horticulture fee is used for the care and maintenance of your tree. Throughout the year, Valley Farms uses certified organic methods to maintain the trees and sustain their productivity.

Since you own your tree, you can plan a vacation to Tucson, AZ anytime to check up on your investment.

Could you explain the financials?

The cost of a Desert Sweet Organic Tree is $200 or $250 (depending on the tree type). There is a yearly horticulture fee of $45. After you purchase the tree, you will only have to pay for the yearly horticulture fee and the packing/shipping cost for each box of apples you request.

You will be giving your gift recipients 10-lb gift boxes of Certified Organic apples for $11.50 plus whatever UPS charges us for shipping. That is one third to one quarter of the price of other fruit gift boxes in the market. If the apples will be used for your personal consumption, this price typically works out to be $1.65 - $2.00 per pound depending on the shipping cost. The boxes contain approximately 20 apples.

You will minimize your yearly expenses by applying buy-back credits to the horticulture and shipping fees. Valley Farms buys back any and all apples from your tree that you do not use at the current market price for unpicked apples. The average yield is 200-lbs per tree, per year. If your tree produces 200 lbs and you decide to use 10 gift boxes (100 lbs of apples), Valley Farms will buy back the remaining 100-lbs of apples. If the current market price for unpicked apples is $0.12 per pound, you will receive a buyback credit of $12.00, which can be applied to your horticulture or shipping fees. If you decide not to use any apples, Valley Farms will buyback all of them and apply the credit to your fees.

Each year, you can decide what to do with your apples. Please note that the market price for unpicked apples changes each year and throughout the harvest season. At the time of your trees harvest, we will notify you of the price.

How many apples can I expect my tree to produce?

The average is 200-lbs per tree, per year, but due to Mother Nature, it may be higher or lower than that amount in any given year.

What happens if my tree stops producing apples?

The trees at Valley Farms have approximately another 25 years of fruit-producing life. It is in Valley Farms best interest to keep the trees productive and healthy. We go to great lengths to protect against environmental catastrophes and sustain the productivity of the trees (please see Preventive Measures to learn what we do). If nature causes your tree to produce a sub-par yield one year, it is likely that you would receive a better than expected yield the following year.

The average yield is 200 lbs an amount that should provide you with an abundance of fruit. Since your tree has many years of productive life, chances are you will have many opportunities to make up for the seasons that produce lower than expected yields.

You can also purchase tree replacement insurance from Valley Farms for $15. If your tree were to die from any reason other than old age, we will replace it free of charge.

What are Buy-backs?

Valley Farms will buy back any and all apples from your tree that you do not want to use at the current market price of unpicked apples. In June or July we will provide you with a forecast of your tree’s yield. At that time, we will ask you to inform us of the number of boxes of apples you will want to use so we know approximately how many apples we can expect to buy back from you.

At harvest, we will notify you of the current market price for unpicked apples, inform you of the actual yield from your tree, set-aside the apples you want to use, and let you know your total buyback credit.

What happens if I dont want to use my apples in a given year?

We will buy them back from you. You have the choice of using your apples for personal consumption, having them sent in gift boxes to your friends and family, and allowing Valley Farms to buy them back. You can also do a combination of any of the three. Each year, you are given the opportunity to let us know how many apples you want to use. The remainder is automatically bought back by Valley Farms.

How will I know the amount of apples my tree produces?

In June or July we will inform you of the forecasted yield-amount for your tree. Then, at harvest, we will inform you of the actual yield.

How do I inform Valley Farms of what to do with my apples?

We have built a secure Communications Web Site especially for you. There, you will receive information pertaining to the status of your tree and the horticulture. You will be able to use the Communications Web Site to receive forecast and harvest details and inform us of how many gift boxes you want to use. You will also be able to use the site to inform us of the ship-to locations and dates for your apples. It contains everything you need to communicate with Valley Farms.

When will my apples be ready?

Each tree type has a different harvest time. The earliest apples are Desert Gala, which begin to be harvested in July. Desert Red apples are usually harvested from late August, through September. Desert Granny and Desert Golden apples are usually harvested in September. Desert Fuji apples begin to be harvested in late September/early October. Your apples are ready for shipping once they are picked and sent to our storage facility, located on premise.

We will notify you once your apples are harvested. At that time, we will ask you to inform us of where and when you want us to ship your apples.

We will store your apples in our cold storage facility until December 15th. You can have them shipped as often as you like until that deadline. The deadline for giving your shipment requests is November 15th. Like any produce, your apples are of best quality shortly after picking. We strongly recommend that you do not keep them in cold storage for more than 60 days.

Do you ship the apples all at once?

Not if you dont want us to. We will store the apples you have notified us to keep aside until December 15th. You can have them shipped weekly, monthly, or all at once anytime between harvest and December 15th. We only ask that you give us a 2-week timeframe to process your shipping requests.

How will I know the status of my shipments?

The Communications Web Site will keep you informed 24 hrs a day of the status of your shipments, storage, and much more.

How long do you expect the trees to produce apples?

Our trees have another 25 years of productive life.

Does Valley Farms transport the tree to my home?

No, your tree remains at Valley Farms, outside of Tucson, AZ, where we care for it and send you and your gift recipients your apples.

Can I purchase a gift box of apples from Valley Farms if I do not own a tree?

Yes, please feel free to call us at (815) 432-3719 or e-mail us at inquiries@desertsweetorganic.com . If you are not a Desert Sweet Organic tree owner, the cost of gift boxes is $39.99.

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