We have bloom and what a magnificent display of beauty in the orchard! Breathtaking, really. The apple orchard was in full bloom 10 days ago and the peach orchard the week before. The peaches were impacted by the cold temperatures of early Spring which will reduce the amount of harvest, but for now, it does look like there will be peaches available for our customers. The apples had a tremendous bloom but a rather short time for pollination. During the period of pollination the temperatures increased causing the blooms to mature rather quickly. The honey bees worked incessantly and the extra hives that a friend willingly allowed us to use were a tremendous help this year. Even with a briefer pollination period, from what we observe now, there should be a good supply of our customers’ favorite varieties. But like I always say, the fruit is not in the baskets yet and there is a long summer ahead of us. So, we will have to bide our time and continue to maintain and care for the orchard as the season progresses.
We have planted a new orchard this year and all is going well with it. The rains of these past weeks have been beneficial to the newly planted trees. New trees need rain to set roots and develop growth. We are having issues with deterring the deer from helping themselves to a free lunch but we are exploring new ideas to employ to prevent too much damage to these new trees.