<body><div>Weather forces early exit for summer fruit Subhead Growers struggle with weather conditions Madeline Duncan Wed, 06/14/2023 - 10:30 Image <ul class="slides"><li><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4UpoZV_0mvbIfCI00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4UpoZV_0mvbIfCI00" width="683" height="420" ></li></ul> Body Many local peach orchards’ seasons are closing out early as some peach varieties suffered from the irregular weather conditions. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> Gillespie County growers experienced a variety of difficult weather, including extreme drought, insufficient chill hours and a late freeze in March. Many local farmers said they had the most issues with freestone variety peaches — varieties in which the fruit separates from the pit entirely. These varieties often require more chilling hours and ripen later in the season than clingstone varieties. Texas A&amp;M AgriLife Extension Service tracks chill hours — hours above freezing and below 45 degrees — to track whether peach trees will flower and produce fruit properly. Jim Kamas, AgriLife Extension fruit specialist, said trees should receive about 830 hours of chilling, but only received about 530 hours this season. Vogel Orchard owner Jamey Vogel said his crop was overall better than last season, but his mid- and late-season varieties suffered. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> “The early crop has been very strong, the mid and late season varieties are not set very well,” Vogel said. Vogel said the late freeze in March damaged some of the earlier growing varieties of peaches, but overall did not have a big impact. The biggest issue Vogel had was the lack of cold moisture to help the later varieties grow. “When you get cold, if it’s wet as well, it provides more efficient chilling,” Vogel said. “The way I describe it to people is if you put beer in the refrigerator to cool, it cools okay. But if you put it in ice water in an ice chest it cools more efficiently.” Jeff Husfeld opened Harvest Hill Farm Market with his family five years ago and grows eight varieties of peaches. Husfeld said he could only harvest two varieties of peaches and that his peach season is already over. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> “Peach harvest has been extremely short,” Husfeld said. “The only ones we harvested this year were June Gold and June Prince.” Husfeld said he thought the reason many of his trees struggled was because of the stress of the drought from last year. He said the late freeze likely weakened the fruit that was, but he wasn’t sure if it was the only reason the trees struggled. Chilling hours are difficult to track and calculate, Husfeld said. Trees need consistent chilling hours to properly stay in dormancy. “We need this plant to go dormant and stay dormant,” Husfeld said. “That’s why it’s important to have a long duration of chilling hours.” Dianne Eckhardt, owner of Eckhardt Orchards, said the clingstone and semi-clingstone varieties did very well this season, but her freestone varieties suffered. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> “The freestone trees just don’t have the fruit we would hope for this year,” Eckhardt said. “These freestone varieties that we’ve chosen for this area require any amount of chill from 650, 700 hours, up to 800 hours and even 850. I think we must have just been a bit short this year on quality cold that we need to sustain cool temperatures.” Eckhardt said her farm stand hasn’t experienced peach shortages yet but will likely run out in the coming weeks. “It’s unfortunate because this is the time when people start thinking about peaches,” Eckhardt said. “Starting this week, there will be much less availability of peaches.” Long-term changes Eckhardt Orchard has been growing peaches commercially since 1936 when Dianne Eckhardt’s grandfather planted fruit trees after returning from World War I. Dianne, a third-generation grower, has seen an increase in extreme weather since joining the business, which has impacted the kinds of varieties she plants. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> “The weather probably has caused us to think a little differently. Maybe we want to buy some new varieties that don’t require as much cold or that bloom a little later,” Eckhardt said. “Peaches are a long game. You plant your peach trees, and that tree is your producer for the next 25 years if everything goes well.” The Vogel family started its first orchard in 1953, and Jamey and his family took over the operation in 1998. “We go through cycles, and right now we’re in a cycle of the last couple years not having the winters that we need,” Vogel said. “But we see that come and go.” Silver Linings Despite challenges to this season’s harvest, farmers said that the lower amount of fruit this year should help trees recover for next season. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> “Now that we are getting rains and (the trees) are not having to support such a large crop, you can see some recovery,” Eckhardt said. “What I hope that translates into is that we will be producing some nice new growth on the trees and new budwood on the trees to produce a nice crop for next year.” Vogel said recent rain has helped his trees rebound from the drought and promote new growth. “That’s where the peaches will be next year, on the new growth that we’re getting now,” Vogel said. “They’ve rebounded very well and should help with next year’s crop. There are a lot of other things that have to happen, but that part is looking well right now.” Irregular conditions may have reduced the peach yield, but recent rains have helped other produce grow. Husfeld said his strawberry crop was much better compared to other years. Harvest Hill Farm Market is located at 12918 Texas 16 South, a part of the county that has yet to receive much rain, Husfeld said. “The strawberry crop has been phenomenal because of the cold temperatures and lack of rain,” Husfeld said. “I’ve never seen strawberry yields like this.” Eckhardt said recent rains have helped her other fruits and vegetables grow well. “The crop on tomatoes and watermelon and cantaloupe and okra and squash, I think that’s all going to be very good this year,” Eckhardt said. “One of the things we’re telling our customers is we may not have peaches at the stand for you, but we’ve got all of our other fresh produce, and it seems like it’s going to be a really nice year for those.” <a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a></div></body>

Mountain View, CA

Weather forces early exit for summer fruit

  
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              Growers struggle with weather conditions

          
Madeline Duncan
Wed, 06/14/2023 - 10:30

  
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