SoilSense Blog

Sommerstedet: Orchard Care with Smart Irrigation Monitoring

At SoilSense, we work with farms of all sizes and backgrounds.
One of them is Sommerstedet, a small organic orchard in Denmark run by Michael Telling.
We recently spoke with Michael about the story of Sommerstedet, what it’s like to run it alongside a full-time career, and the challenges and solutions he has found along the way.

Tell us about Sommerstedet.

We planted the orchard in 2022, and we now have 2000 apple trees across1.5 hectares, selling mainly to the hotel industry as well as selected retail outlets.

We specialise in single-varietal apple juice, as we sort the apples by type, so you can truly taste the unique character of each variety.

What made you decide to start an orchard?

It was purely an interest of mine. I wanted to use a completely different part of my brain compared to my office-focused daily work. It’s a hobby, but also a learning experience: understanding the land, caring for the trees, and figuring out how to make the orchard thrive.

What challenges were you facing before regarding irrigation?

One of the biggest challenges when you’re completely new to agriculture is learning how to read your crops: knowing when they need water, or if they’ve had too much, like it happened last year in Denmark.

Often, by the time you notice signs of water stress in the trees, it’s already too late for the fruit.

How did SoilSense change your management of irrigation?

Before, I would check roots or dig into the soil to gauge moisture levels. It was time-consuming and impossible to manage while traveling.

With SoilSense, I get notifications on my phone and can adjust irrigation remotely. I travel quite a lot, so keeping control of the need for irrigation and being able to access that remotely has been a huge advantage. I can see how much rainfall we’ve had before deciding whether to
supplement with irrigation.

Now, even while abroad, I can manage everything from my phone.

My life has become so much easier.

What would you recommend to a grower facing similar challenges?

I can tell them SoilSense has been a really good investment for me.

If anybody wants to discuss or learn from my experience, they are welcome to reach out.

Simplifying Orchard Management with SoilSense

With the support of smart monitoring tools like SoilSense, Michael runs an orchard that produces premium organic fruit while keeping operations manageable and efficient.
🌱 Learn more about Sommerstedet at sommerstedet.dk and Instagram:
sommerstedet6560, or contact Michael directly at michael@sommerstedet.dk / +45 2279 8181.
🌐 Interested in how SoilSense can help you optimize your irrigation? Contact us at contact@soilsense.io / +45 31672669.
2025-10-13 11:23