Ardgour Valley cherry and apricot orchards

Ardgour Valley Orchards spans 38 hectares within Ardgour Station, Tarras – a sheep and beef property owned and operated by the Jolly family since 1955.

Project start date

2020

Orchard reaches maturity

2026

Plastic sleeves on young apricot trees ensure stability and protect them from the elements.

Spring is a spectacular time of year in the orchard as thousands of trees burst into blossom.

Beautiful pink apricot flowers appear about three weeks ahead of fruit setting.

Three varieties of apricots ripen at different times between December and February.

Newly planted trees at Ardgour Valley Orchards

Apricot flowering leading up to the 2024-2025 harvest

Specialty apricot varieties especially bred for New Zealand conditions by Plant and Food Research, Central Otago are growing here.

15,200

Cherry trees planted

15,000

Apricot trees planted

270,000

Kgs of fruit harvested annually

Varieties planted at Ardgour Valley orchard

Red and white-fleshed cherries

Proven varieties of cherries complement the product line-up.

Growing exciting summer apricots

It took more than 20 years of research and breeding to develop the three apricots now growing at Ardgour Valley Orchards and highly anticipated by apricot lovers the world over.

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Diversifying into horticulture

Ardgour Valley Orchards is set within traditional sheep and beef property, Ardgour Station. It came about following the Jolly family’s desire to diversify into horticulture.

Our apricot and cherry team

Led by Christie Kirk, centre, our Ardgour Valley orchard team is responsible for nurturing and overseeing the harvest of every tree in the orchard. Many of our team members were involved in the first planting.

Hortinvest and a group of investors collaborated in 2016 to establish Tarras Cherry Corp Ltd – the business behind Hidden Valley orchard.

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