Love Orchard (Yuanli Township Farmers' Association)

In Europe, tomatoes are also known as "Love Apples" because when mature, their flowers bloom side-by-side, and the red fruits connect, resembling a pair of lovers. Hence, they are called "love fruits." The greenhouses here primarily cultivate these "love fruits," which is why it's named "Love Orchard." We hope this romantic name, when promoting the orchard, can bring visitors a romantic atmosphere and memories. The type of greenhouse adopted by Love Orchard was specially selected from many options because, considering Taiwan's seasonal changes, a typical greenhouse in summer can experience a buildup of heat. High temperatures make it difficult for indoor crops to bear fruit, especially tomatoes. Therefore, when initially choosing the greenhouse design, a design that allowed for cooling and easy heat dissipation was sought. At that time, a roll-up roof structure was chosen. Its roof design allows the entire plastic cover to be rolled up under the central cupola. So, when the roof is rolled up, only a fine mesh remains, preventing heat from accumulating indoors. This results in an indoor-outdoor temperature difference of approximately two degrees Celsius. Additionally, exhaust fans are installed, so if the internal heat convection circulation is poor, the fans will quickly bring the temperature under control. When Love Orchard was first designed, it was the initial attempt at greenhouse cultivation, with the aspiration of achieving organic farming principles. However, it was discovered that while the greenhouse environment could isolate many pests, it couldn't prevent the occurrence of viral diseases, leading to significant losses in the early stages of cultivation. Fortunately, our advisor, Zheng Nian-jun, put a lot of effort into this, constantly visiting and learning greenhouse cultivation techniques externally to strengthen Love Orchard's cultivation experience. I still remember how difficult the first year of operating the orchard was. The techniques were immature, colleagues didn't approve, and we even faced criticism from the general assembly for establishing a loss-making venture, which truly added insult to injury. Fortunately, as of today, Love Orchard is profitable, generating enough income to cover its operations and management. Years of hard work have finally brought some achievements. Currently, in terms of marketing Love Orchard's products, in addition to pick-your-own fruit tourism, we also collaborate with several organic health stores, supplying to organic product specialty stores in Taichung and neighboring areas, as Love Orchard uses no pesticides during the fruit-picking season. Furthermore, the romantic name "Love Orchard" and the refreshing fruit-picking experience have long made it one of the most renowned representatives of recreational agriculture in central Taiwan, ideal for group outings and multi-generational family activities. Love Orchard's greenhouse cultivation and fruit-picking experience have also become the best outdoor learning environment for agricultural activities for many kindergartens and elementary schools. Everyone is welcome to come and experience it for yourselves!