By Clint Thompson
Abnormal weather conditions brought warm temperatures to Georgia in February. Unfortunately, it also led to peach trees blooming earlier than they were used to.
The result was extreme vulnerability to a pair of freeze events in March that has impacted the crop statewide.
“People talk about late freezes, but it really wasn’t that late. March is wintertime. The problem is February is not springtime. That’s it in a nutshell right there,” said Drew Echols, owner of Jaemor Farms and president of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA). “The blooms on those trees jumped out there too quick, just because it warmed up. It seems like that’s always the story, but it seems like it’s been worse the past two or three years. I don’t know why. Next year we may be going back to a more normal February when it’s blistering cold. That’s kind of what I’m hoping for.”
According to the University of Georgia Weather Network, the average high temperature for February in Gainesville, Georgia, located southwest of Alto, was 62.7 degrees Fahrenheit (F). That’s more than four degrees higher than last year (58.6 F) and much higher than 2021 (54.8 F) and 2020 (54.8 F).
Peach trees responded to the warmer temperatures with early blooms. The blooms were susceptible to successive freeze events in March that brought sub-freezing temperatures.
“The verdict is still out to what extent this fruit is actually damaged. Just because it’s green and on the tree right now doesn’t mean that it’s marketable in July. We’ve got to see how these things are growing, how they’re cutting, how they’re coming along development wise,” Echols said.