By Clint Thompson
Alabama peach producers are optimistic about this year’s crop following adequate chilling hours this winter. Whether that optimism stays up until harvest season remains to be seen.
Edgar Vinson, assistant research professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Horticulture at Auburn University, provided an update on how growers are viewing this upcoming peach season.
“They’re pretty optimistic about what’s on the trees now. The focus now, of course, is what can happen later on in the season in terms of a frost. That’s always the issue,” Vinson said. “There’s always that concern about an excessive frost that could potentially destroy a crop.
“I’m told of another concern, though, is having too much fruit on the trees; too many blooms and not being able to really thin enough blooms to have adequate fruit size.”
Vinson said growers are hopeful a frost will help thin some of the remaining blooms. As the fruit progresses and producers have a better idea of what harvest will look like, they will start thinning as well.
Chill Hours
Alabama farmers are in a good position following a cool winter, which is what they hoped for to help the peach trees receive adequate chill hours.
“We got well over 800 chill hours which is the target that we shoot for,” Vinson said. “We’ve gotten well over that. For central Alabama, we got 912 chill hours. It’s quite a bit above the 800, 850 that we like. That satisfies the chilling for most of the varieties., and even for some of the really high chill varieties, it’s enough to make a crop. It should be a good season.”
Fruits, like peaches and apples, require chill hours to mature. 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 typically tracked until about Feb. 14.