Fruit
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Vegetable and Specialty Crop News posted a concerning story about Georgia blueberries this week. According to the story, while blueberries appear to have missed the worst losses due to spring frosts this year, they are facing loss of yield due to lack of pollenation. Cold and windy weather in March and April following the record-setting…
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While chill hours this winter provided plenty of needed cold weather for peaches, combination of extremely warm weather in February and two separate frosts in March obliterated the peach crop in northern Florida this year, according to the Northwest District newsletter released today. Unfortunately, 2017 was also a loss for peach production there due to…
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We have a new publication on vineyard frost protection, put together by Cain Hickey and Erick Smith of UGA along with myself. Learn what to do when frost threatens your vineyard and how to prepare for it. You can access it online at https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1490.
Posted in: Fruit -
Now that we are past the freeze season, farmers are starting to look ahead to the peach crop for this year. Earlier this month I reported that Georgia farmers were expecting about a 10 percent loss due to frost. This week the Southeast Farm Press offered a story on the South Carolina peach crop and…
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After the dismal yields of peaches in Georgia for the last two years, producers are excited that this year looks like it might be one of the best. This has been a much better winter for chill hours than the previous two, setting up the crop for good blooming. Even though early peach varieties that…
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The Packer reported this week that while Florida blueberries have taken a hit this year from Hurricane Irma and recent frosts, they are still looking good for this year’s season, with plenty of berries available for harvest. Over 95 percent of growers reported some damage from weather this year, according to a survey of producers.…
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I was surprised to learn today that avocado trees fruit much more heavily on alternate years. Last year was a “down” year and supplies were low. This year is an “up” year, which means that they should be easier to find and probably cheaper, too. The Packer noted that supplies from California, Mexico and Peru…