By Clint Thompson
Most of Alabama’s peach farmers felt the sting of an early spring freeze event. It wiped out much of the state’s early varieties, including some on Mike Reeves’ farm in Hartselle, Alabama.
“We got hurt by the freeze on our early varieties and our late varieties but most of our mid-season varieties are in pretty good shape,” said Reeves, whose farm is located just southwest of Huntsville and about 30 miles south of the Tennessee state line. “Now that’s not the same as you go further south into central Alabama and further south from that. They’ve got hurt more across the board. So, it’s been a tough year for a lot of peach growers, I know that.
“You have a chance every year to lose some to the freeze, a late spring freeze, and just some years your varieties are at different stages. Some of them are more susceptible varieties. You are going to be ahead, bloom wise and development, which makes them more susceptible to a cold. But you face it every year and you’ll lose a few every year in most years. It is part of it.”
Reeves estimated that his farm has about another four to five weeks of harvests left. His crop is at least 10 to 14 days early.
“In other words, we’re picking peaches right now that it would be on, two weeks from now, we would normally take them,” said Reeves, who estimated he still has an 85% crop this year.