About Us

Seeking a quieter lifestyle in 1999, we moved with our four children from South Central Pennsylvania to the beautiful Finger Lakes Region of New York. We purchased an abandoned 60 acre dairy farm with awesome views of the mountains and sunsets.

Over the years we have pursued many ideas on the farm but finally our journey has led us to return back to our roots in horticulture. Our passion for growing and producing unusual fruits and herbs has resulted in our farm now being home to an orchard of 600+heritage fruit trees, 3 acres of unusual small fruiting plants, a high tunnel with figs and specialty fruits and many raised beds of herbs. We’ve added greenhouses where we grow and sell an extensive assortment of potted fruiting plants, herb plants and grafted fruit trees. In recent years we have added a state licensed commercial kitchen to the farm where we create 100+ flavors of jams, 20+ herbal tea blends, as well as herbal seasonings, dip mixes and catnip items for sale using crops grown here on the farm.

You can find our plants and farm products for sale on this site. You can purchase online for pickup or to be shipped. You can also find us at several local farmers markets and regional events, as well as at other fine local retail shops. We also offer workshops, classes and consultations to help you with growing your own food.

Meet the Team

Roger Ort

Owner, Head Grower, and Visionary

If you have not met our Pawpaw enthusiast, Roger Ort, let us introduce you to him. Roger hails from Southern, PA where he grew up on a small hog farm. At age 15 he went to work for a local garden center and fell in love with the horticulture industry. He would go on to attend Williamsport Community College and earn a degree in Nursery Management (Horticulture).

After graduating from college Roger continued to work as nursery manager for the garden center. While working there, he met and married Maria (Owner, General Manager and Specialty Foods Chef at Ort Family Farm). Together they would raise their 4 children and start their own wholesale greenhouse business of growing mums, herbs, and perennial plants. During his time in PA, Roger would also go on to become an accredited Pennsylvania Nurseryman.

A little over 22 years ago, Roger and Maria, along with their kids, moved to what is now Ort Family Farm. Roger would go on to work as a landscape and nursery manager for other businesses for about 10 years, before entering the Cornell Cooperative Extension system. Over these years, Roger would continue to grow things and he became increasing interested in collecting/growing unusual fruits. He would also come to learn grafting and begin to experiment with more fruits. Plus, Roger would take classes in Permaculture Design from the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute. November 2021, Roger retired from the extension system and began focusing all his attention on growing fruits and educating others on growing more unusual fruits.

Outside of growing, Roger is an avid fan of classic rock, including Blondie. He also is a huge fan of the Marvel Comic Universe, the Firefly TV series and Shannara books by Terry Brooks. Roger has coached youth Robotics programs in his county and for the state as well. So, the next time you see Roger, be sure to strike up a conversation with him on lots of different topics.

Maria Ort
Owner, Financial Officer, Executive Chef, and Gardener

Shona Ort

Farm Manager

A few of you might recognize Shona. She is a familiar face at our event and farmers market booths. However, she is also the eldest of the Ort clan's children. Shona has always been involved on the farm since we purchased it in 1999. It wasn't though until 2020 she came onto the farm as a paid employee after spending 15 years working for others in the agriculture and horticulture industries.

As farm manager at Ort Family Farm, she assists Roger (Owner and Head Grower) with the growing both in the greenhouse and field. She also is the main person in charge of our potted herb production and digital marketing. Plus, you will find her helping out with customer service both on and off the farm. However, she often helps out wherever it is needed most on the farm.

When she is not on the farm, she is often busy tending to her own large garden of cut flowers and vegetables. Plus, taking care of her goats and rabbits. She also is a big fan of books, good food, and getting outdoors for a hike/walk. Next time you see her, be sure to ask what new book she is reading or the new plant she is trying to grow in her garden.

If you have not met our creative executive chef, Maria Ort, let us introduce you to her! Maria grew up in a florist family in rural South Central, PA. There she developed a love for herbs, flowers and nature. After graduating from high school, she worked in the retail fashion industry for several years as well as in her parents’ flower shop and greenhouses. While also working part time at a large garden center she met and married co-worker, Roger Ort (Owner, Head Grower, and Visionary at Ort Family Farm). Together they would operate their own wholesale greenhouse operation for 15 years where Maria managed the herb division and financial office. During that time, she & Roger’s family grew to include four children.

A little over 22 years ago Maria, Roger and their children moved to what is now Ort Family Farm. Maria devoted the next 15 years to homeschooling their four children, farming, gardening and homesteading. Maria also had a small seasonal, retail greenhouse where she specialized in growing potted herbs and heirloom/open pollinated vegetable plants.

Over the past 10 years she has developed and overseen the production of our assortment of specialty food products using the fruits and herbs we grow here at Ort Family Farm. She has created over 100 flavors of fruit jams/jellies/marmalades as well as 25 herbal tea blends and also herbal seasonings and dips.

In her spare time, Maria enjoys bird watching, gardening, sunsets, baking and her family.