The Grounded Orchardist

Seven years ago when I started fruit growing you could predict what the weather might do. Ok, you could get a freak hailstorm….a fruit growers nemesis. However you could, within a 2 week window at either end know what was going to happen.

Very quickly that has changed and recently you just can’t predict anything. The weather is so erratic. Even within a day. I have blossom almost fully bloomed on one variety of Apricots and for once I’m not worried about frost. However, with storm Dudley, Eunice and now Franklin will the delicate petals survive and cling on?

The down-side of my Job is the need to constantly look at the weather. Even more so nowadays. We’re lucky enough in this orchard to have a weather station within the Orchard and I can look forwards and backwards at the data.

So where the rules for fruit tree growing and husbandry used to be clear here in the UK its now a different ball game.

Some varieties of fruit needs 1000 hours of cold minimum each winter. We’ve had nowhere near that which will also have a knock on effect of pests and fungal spores not being killed off. There are Pear buds trying to burst, Apricot blossom that is early and a few Apple varieties very close to bursting too. This, on top of the erratic weather effects pruning timings. I’m as confused as the trees are!!

However despite the mild weather there are no pollinators out and about yet. So if the trees go into full bloom out of sync with the pollinators, my colleagues and I will have to go out with soft brushes to hand pollinate the fruit. On the other end of the scale, August this year had very little sun. The Apples just didn’t sweeten as normal before they gave up and started to drop. Brightside?…hardly any sunburn!

As worrying as it is, its also very interesting watching it happen. My thinking as fruit growers is that we need to change alongside it. Whilst making better decisions to help slow down climate change.