STONE FRUIT DELAYED UNTIL MID-MAY

Excerpt from OPN April 27, 2023

Most years, the California stone fruit deal begins in late April, with apricots and cherries leading the way. This year, however, various factors have combined to delay the early varieties by as much as two weeks.

OPN Newsletter April 27, 2023

“There’s nothing yet,” said Jarod Hunting, a produce buyer for Earl’s Organic Produce, located on the San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market. “What I am hearing from our suppliers is that everything has been pushed back about two weeks. It’s going to be the first and second weeks of May before we see cherries and apricots—and a week after that before we see any peaches or nectarines.”

Hunting added, “We are expecting that there will be organic stone fruit volume by Memorial Day and plenty of opportunities for promotions for the Fourth of July.”

The late start is being attributed to tremendous amounts of rain and colder-than-usual weather, which impacted bloom and pollination. But that doesn’t mean it’s not going to be a good season. “We are telling our customers that overall it is going to be a unique and positive year,” Hunting said.

The incredible volumes of rain and the lingering snowpack have been very good for the health of the trees. “And there were more than 1,000 chill hours, which is also good for the fruit,” Hunting said.

Hunting said he has heard that the varieties that need bee pollination might have a fruit set a little bit on the light side, but not all stone fruit varieties need the help of the bees.

“Most peaches and nectarines are self-pollinating, so they have not been affected,” he said, noting that apricots, plums, and cherries do rely on bees to help them set a good crop. “I understand pollination has been a little bit of a challenge this season because of the cold, but overall we are expecting good volume.”

Read the full OPN article for Stone Fruit updates from Homegrown Organic and Fruit World.