For the past two years, Mary and Larry Leonard have been working to restore an apple orchard and Christmas tree farm on Central Whidbey Island.

The Leonards, owners of Island Tree Ranch, had to install a new drip irrigation system and an electrified deer fence to help protect the 15 varieties of apples that grow in the orchard. They also planted 5,000 trees on their 29-acre property.

“We feel like we’re getting to where we’re seeing progress,” Larry said.

People can see the fruits of their labor next weekend. The Leonards’ farm is one of the 17 farms participating in the first Whidbey Island Farm Tour put on by the Conservation District and the WSU extension office.

The self-guided tour takes place Saturday, Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tour will allow people to see the entrepreneurial spirit some small farmers are showing.

The Leonards purchased their farm, which was previously known as Fircrest, from the Jim Davis family. They wanted to return the farm to the way it was years ago.

They have been selling apples at the numerous farmers markets scattered throughout Whidbey Island. During the farm tour, they will sell apples and cider, display some of Mary’s art, offer ice cream and a hay rides so farm-goers can see the variety of trees and plants that are scattered throughout their “L” shaped property.

They are working on getting an organic certification for their apples and, in five years, they hope to start selling Christmas trees. They have to wait for their trees to grow first.

The Leonards aren’t the only ones who are showing an entrepreneurial spirit with their farm.

Sarah Richards purchased a nearly nine-acre piece of land near West Beach Road. Originally she planted lavender to serve as a wind break for her vegetable garden. Since then she has expanded the amount of lavender. It now covers two-and-half acres and she operates a gift shop selling lavender-laced products such as oils, jams, soaps and dried plants.

“I planted nine plants as a wind guard,” Richards said. “I just kinda went crazy after that.”

She said it takes a combination of tourism and the sale of the value-added products and plants to maintain her business. She is able to keep her store open seven days a week during the summer and five days a week during the off season. She said she often has people from the Seattle area call, inquiring about good times to visit.

When the farm tour takes place, she will offer ice cream and lavender lemonade people can taste while they visit. She will offer advice on lavender plant care and how to process the plants. She is also planning to sell a lavender rub and hold a composting demonstration.

Richards is also a member of the steering committee that spent the past nine months setting up the farm tour.

The tour is a way to show people products that are grown and produced on the island.

“We hope the farm tour is a small way to motivate the island,” said Karen Lennon, director of the Whidbey Island Conservation District.

She said the tour will provide accessibility to local farms and expose people to the products that are grown and made on the island.

Other farms on North and Central Whidbey island that are participating in the tour are Sherman’s Pioneer Farm Produce, Rosehip Farm and Garden, 3 Sisters Cattle Company, Hastie Lake Farms, Penn Cove Shellfish, Au Sable Institute and Camelot Downs.

Participating farms on South Whidbey Island are Chocolate Flower Farm, Forget-Me-Not Farms, The Old Parsons Place, Alpaca Familia, Whoamule, Mauk and Paradise Found Fiber Farm.

Lennon said she hopes the tour, which takes place on state Harvest Day, will become an annual event in which more farms on the island will participate.

For the tour to take place, the Conservation District received a $2,000 grant from the Washington State Conservation Commision. Several local businesses provided a total of $3,600 in support for the tour. Those businesses are Bayview Farm and Garden, Goosefoot Community Fund, Langley Vinyard Farm, Skagit Farmers Supply, Star Store and Whidbey Watershed Stewards.

Take the tour

The Whidbey Island Farm Tour will be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 7. The event is free to the public.

For more information about the Whidbey Farm Tour, go to www.whidbey

farmtour.com. to download a map.

Dine between farm visits

While the Whidbey Farm Tour will showcase local farms, it also provides a chance for island chefs to showcase Whidbey Island products. A baker’s dozen worth of island restaurants are supporting the farm tour by cooking locally-grown produce that day.

Participating restaurants are, in Langley, The Edgecliff, Prima Bistro, 3 Cats Cafe, and Neil’s Cloverpatch Cafe. Restaurants in Freeland and Greenbank are Whidbey Pies Cafe, Prima Bistro in Bayview, Gerry Kitchen, Gordon’s and the Laughing Cat. Participating restaurants in Coupeville are Miriam’s, The Blue Goose, Potluck on the Porch and The Oystercatcher. A special cooking class takes place during the farm tour. The class begins at noon at the Tilth Farmer’s Market where a selection of local produce will be purchased and cooked up for lunch.