Owasso Tree and Berry Farm Opens
By KELSY TAYLOR
Web Editor and Feature Writer
BERRY FUN: The Owasso Tree and Blackberry Farm has provided a great family activity to the Tulsa area for 20 years. Paula and Bill Jacobs enjoy meeting the many families that visit the farm.
Paula and Bill Jacobs have welcomed visitors to the Owasso Tree and Blackberry Farm for many years. The Jacobs first opened the Christmas tree farm 21 years ago. The community fell in love with the farm and ten years later, the rows of Christmas trees expanded into acres of blackberries.
The Jacobs enjoy having the blackberries on the farm and the activities that they bring. The farm offers the unique opportunity to pick blackberries in a beautiful setting. “Visitors can come here to pick berries, get back to the country and hear the birds sing,” describes Bill.
Visiting The Owasso Tree and Berry Farm has become a summer tradition for the Tulsa area. “Everyone can come enjoy the berries and have a lot of fun. We just love meeting all of the families that come to the farm. We have set up picnic tables in the field so that families can bring their lunch and make a day of it,” explains Paula.
When the Jacobs researched blackberries, they knew right away that the fruit would be a great addition to the farm. Bill explained that the blackberries “can be planted one year and harvested the next. The picking season is short so it doesn’t take a lot of time to harvest the berries.”
There are currently five acres of blackberries on the farm. The rows are wide and the berries are mulched for moisture and temperature control. The fields are mowed every week and the bushes are constantly pruned to deter snakes and chiggers from the area.
The Jacobs have planted five varieties of the berries. The Choctaw’s are the earliest variety to ripen. The Kiowa and Chicksaw produce the largest berries on the farm. The Quachita is a variety of blackberry that is thornless. There is also a very unique blackberry that can be found on the farm that is referred to as a Wyeberry that is actually a combination of a blackberry and raspberry.
The Jacobs have enjoyed each day on the farm and the memories that they have made. “Our best memories are when we have made people happy with what they have achieved by coming to the farm,” described Bill. The first visitors to the blackberry farm were from the Owasso Baptist Retirement Village. “Visiting the farm brought back a lot of their memories of growing up in the country and picking berries. The experience made them really happy.”
“It is important to have a place like this in a community,” states Bill. The Jacobs feel that the blackberry farm provides a nice place for families to spend time with one another and enjoy being in the country. “Kids learn that blackberries come from a bush, not from the store,” Bill points out.
The Jacobs are very happy with the farm’s location. “We chose to open the farm in Owasso because we like the community and the people. It is a great place to live,” explains Bill.
The blackberries are available for six to eight weeks beginning in early June. The farm is open every other day to allow time for the berries to ripen. The mornings are the best time to pick the berries because the temperatures are cooler and the berries are perishable.
For more information, visit www.owassochristmastreefarm.com or call (918) 272-9445.
Updated 06-11-2010
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