By Clint Thompson
It is that time of the year when peach producers and industry leaders are keeping tabs on chilling hours. Peaches need chill hours to mature properly. Growers can largely gauge the success of the following season on how many chill hours their crop receives over the winter.
According to Edgar Vinson, assistant research professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Horticulture at Auburn University, there were fewer chill hours recorded through November compared to last year.
“We are at 153 hours right now,” said Vinson on Dec. 1. “We were at 161 this time last year. We’re lagging a little bit behind where we were last year, but we still have the whole month of December left. We could catch up I think.”
The required chill hours depend on the specific variety growers choose to plant. Some may require as little as 500 chill hours, while others may need as many 800. Chill hours are generally recorded until about Feb. 14. Vinson is not yet concerned considering there’s plenty of time left in December and January.
“With December rolling in, we still should have some pretty cold days on tap,” Vinson said. “I think we’ll be okay. I may have to reevaluate a couple of weeks from now and see where we are.
“If it’s a couple of weeks from now and we’re still lagging behind, I may start getting concerned.”