Earthly endeavors

New orchard below Cleman Mountain, Tieton, Washington.
Photo by John A. Kane

A good orchard begins with good earth. And in orchard country, it’s quite a sight to see a new orchard take shape, with young trees planted in vast fields ready to nourish the hopes of fruitful harvests in the years to come.

And this month, we have a complementary pair of striking covers from two of our regular contributors to Good Fruit Grower.

Our April 1 cover features Lance Johnson’s wonderful photo of a new orchard near Parker, Washington. The theme of this important issue includes stories on irrigation, and we liked how this photograph put that theme on full display with a series of sprinklers watering a new planting. And in the background, orchards of varying stages—including blooms of apricot—foretell the future of what awaits these young trees.

Johnson, a Yakima, Washington, photographer, has had his work featured quite a number of times on our covers, most recently in November. You can see more of his great work at Image West Photography, imagewestusa.com.

We have another beautiful shot to share on the cover of our April 15 issue, with John Kane’s mesmerizing image of a new orchard below Cleman Mountain near Tieton, Washington. The parallel patterns created by the orchard posts can lure you into a bit of a trance. I know, because I couldn’t stop staring when I first saw it.

Kane, who splits his time between Tieton and Issaquah, Washington, is also a familiar name here at Good Fruit Grower. His work featuring a snow-covered orchard got us off to a great start to the year on our January 1 edition. He has more outstanding shots to share at johnakane.com.