The calendar declares spring has arrived in Indiana and yes, the air still holds the chill of winter but the longer hours of daylight and the bright sunshine gives us a boost in our attitude. Whatever Mother Nature still has in store for us, well, it won’t last forever!
We are ready for bloom! Our pruning is finished and the orchards are raked, mulched and ready for the swelling of buds and bursts of blossoms that officially signal our “Opening Day.” We are sure that the subzero winter temperatures negatively affected the peaches. We anticipate a major reduction in the peach production. To what degree will be determined as bloom occurs. Apples have good fruit set and our production outlook is promising. However, we learned a long time ago that as growers we can do everything right but it is Mother Nature that has the final say.