How Will Cold Winter Impact Peach Crops?
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More than 80 percent of Alabama’s peaches come from one place-Chilton County. This year’s cold weather and winter storms have many farmers keeping a close eye on their orchards. So what does that mean for the crops?
So far, peach farmers say it’s good news. Peaches need hundreds of hours of freezing weather before they bloom, so the winter weather helps ensure the peaches will be ready to grow.
But farmers say they’ve reached that amount faster than normal this year. They say if warm weather comes too soon, it could cause the fruit to bud early. If a freeze came after that, it could kill the peaches. Right now, they say it’s looking like this year will bring a great peach crop.
“The cold that we’ve had has been real beneficial. the fruit trees’ rest period is satisfied, and they’re ready to bloom,” said Jimmy Durbin with Sunshine Farms.
Farmers usually begin harvesting the fruit in late spring or early summer. Together, Chilton County farmers can produce up to 15 million pounds of peaches in a year.
You can visit J. Durbin and Sunshine Farms’ website here.
