As we grapple with wintry weather this week, farmers are also trying to deal with the ups and downs of a New England spring.
At Rogers Orchards in Southington, we were told the peach trees were in bloom a week and a half ago. But after several hot days, their colors are bursting, and the team hopes they’ll stay that way despite the cold.
Greg Parzik of Rogers Orchards said, “When the sun comes out from behind the clouds you can almost stand here and watch the flowers come out. So, the peach blossoms actually bloomed a little earlier than expected.”
With temperatures as low as 20°C expected around Southington tonight, the team at Rogers Orchards is preparing for the worst but hoping for the best. Parazik said the viability of peaches varies by degree.
“At 30 degrees, I expect minimal or no damage. Once it starts to go below 28 degrees, you’re looking at one percent more damage,” Parazyk said. “I think 90% will hit around 24 degrees, which I hope we won’t see tonight, and I don’t think we will, so are cautiously optimistic on cold weather.”
Parazik said there are several ways to prepare.
“On a borderline level like tonight, in some of our very low spots, we’re going to have to turn on irrigation. That water on the garden floor will heat the soil to 55 degrees or whatever temperature it’s coming out of the earth. So, we may be able to gain a degree or two just by irrigating, which could be the difference tonight,” Parzyk said.
Believe it or not, Parzich said cooler temperatures aren’t bad for peaches at all, since they only want cooler temperatures anyway.
“We had about 29 degrees last night, so we should be fine. The general rule of thumb is that you only need 10% of the flowers on the tree to produce the size peaches we want to harvest a full crop. If the crop is a little off, Mother Nature is helping us out a little bit,” Parzyk said.
He said that the apples have not yet started blooming, so they will not be affected. The pear blossoms began with warm weather, but he believes more cold will be needed to affect them.
<a href=