Know Your Farmer: Surratt Orchards
It All Started With Family Traditions
For Surratt Orchards, the roots of the farm go back to family, a garden, and lessons passed down from one generation to the next.
As a child, the farmer behind Surratt Orchards remembers her daddy always having a garden. Once she got older and had children of her own, they joined Mr. Miller every spring through late fall, planting, tending to, and harvesting just about every kind of produce imaginable.
He took great pride in teaching his grandchildren how to be self-sustainable. He taught them how to care for the soil, when to plant certain crops, how to properly maintain them, and when to harvest them. At the time, it sometimes felt like a job, but in reality, it was their way of being together.
The family often talked about having a little market to sell their extra produce, but he would give the majority away to family, friends, and neighbors. Sharing what they grew was simply part of their family tradition.
In 2020, she purchased property in Lexington, North Carolina, and her father helped clear parts of the land so they could plant trees and grow produce. He was always encouraging, even when he thought some of her ideas were a little wild.
He watched as she got married and began building a dream with her husband of creating a cherry orchard. Sadly, he passed away in November 2022 before he could see that dream come to life.
Since then, she has experienced plenty of ups and downs and has almost given up hundreds of times. But whenever she does, she can still hear her dear daddy saying, “There's a lot of greens out there needing to be picked, girl!”
That reminder continues to inspire her to keep going and keep growing.
The Dream
Today, Surratt Orchards is continuing that family tradition while building a vision for the future. Their dream is to create more than an orchard. They want to create a place where families can enjoy fresh, seasonal produce, experience life on the farm, and make lasting memories together.
The orchard is growing with plans for cherries, blueberries, blackberries, and other seasonal produce. As Surratt Orchards continues to develop, they are also working toward creating more opportunities for visitors to experience the farm throughout the year.
The Future of the Orchard
The future of Surratt Orchards includes more than growing fruit. They are working toward creating a family-friendly destination where agriculture, education, and seasonal experiences come together.
Their plans include blueberry and blackberry U-Pick opportunities, farm visits and field trips, and additional orchard plantings. They also envision future offerings such as homemade ice cream, jams, pies, and other products made from the fruit they grow.
As the orchard develops, Surratt Orchards hopes to create a place where children and families can learn about agriculture, spend time outdoors, and connect with where their food comes from.
Produce Market
What's available at Surratt Orchards changes with the seasons. Their growing plans include cherries, blueberries, blackberries, and other seasonal produce, along with products made from the fruits grown at the orchard.
Their vision for the market is to offer fresh, local products while giving visitors another way to enjoy what the farm has to offer.
Surratt Orchards also plans to offer seasonal experiences that bring visitors to the farm throughout the year. From summer berry picking to fall activities, their goal is to make the orchard a place where families can enjoy the changing seasons together.
A Family Tradition Still Growing
What began with a family garden has grown into something much bigger. Surratt Orchards is carrying forward the lessons and traditions that started with a father teaching his grandchildren how to plant, care for the soil, grow food, and share what they harvested.
Today, those lessons continue to shape the orchard and the vision behind it.
For Surratt Orchards, farming is not just about what grows in the ground. It is about family, perseverance, community, and keeping a dream alive for the generations to come.
