After lost season, apple growers are optimistic

Patience is a virtue when you're an experienced farmer waiting for your orchard to recover from a devastating frost, says veteran apple grower Tom Pate.

The owner of Brantwood Farms on Powerline Road says there is no comparison this spring, from a cruel frost that struck just after a prolonged warm period at the same time last year, and ravaged his and other Brant County apple operations.

It was a matter of good orchard management and waiting it out.

"We had no frost here, we've had lots of blooms, the bees were on their job, and with the blossoms off, we have lots of apples starting on the branches," Pate said.

"Now the challenge is to thin out the clusters, by reducing to one or two apples per cluster so that the ones we want have a chance to grow to a good size. It's better to have a decent sized apple than a bunch of marbles."

That's a dramatic contrast from spring 2012.

"I'd say the frost has affected 80% of my trees, and I'll probably lose 50% to 60% in yields this year," Pate said shortly after a frost hit the area in the last week of April that year. "It's pretty grim."

Dealing with the disaster was a matter of good management, Pate said. He accepted the loss, took care of his 4,000 trees and waited for the winter and the following cooler-than-normal spring, with an eye always on the weather.

"We just had to be patient," he recounted. "All of the trees hit by frost made it throughout the winter. Everything has turned out well in the end."

Now he is looking optimistically at a good growing season for his 15 apple varieties.

Gerald and Lola Brubacher are enjoying the same spring at Orchard Home Farm on Howell Road northwest of St. George.

"We're optimistic that we'll have a wonderful crop come harvest time," Gerald Brubacher said of their orchard of 10,000 apple trees over 50 acres.

"It took a longer time than usual for the blossoms to come, but when they did it was great. The bees were in early and whenever it was warm they were out. We're anticipating that they were able to do their jobs."

The Brubachers have also been lucky this year with their pear trees. The pear blossoms came earlier than the apple ones, but appear in the early going to have emerged well through the cool weather.

"I'm an optimistic person," said Brubacher. "Things are looking good."

But frost did damage crops some Ontario crops.

Geoff Coulson of Environment Canada said the late frost was unusual, but it's not unheard of in May as cold air to the north and warm air to the south battle to bring weather to the area.

"This is still a bit of a transitional month for us."

But with warm and cold spells alternating this month, "this past May has been a very dramatic example of that."

Coulson said frost now is out of the forecast as temperatures are expected to climb.

But he also noted that June historically isn't a frost-free month.

"There's still that chance of one or two cold nights again."

michael-allan.marion@sunmedia.ca

With files from QMI Agency

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Frost damage

A number of producers in southwestern Ontario have reported damage from weekend frost, says Susan Murray of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture:

- Potatoes in the Grand Bend and Delhi area were damaged. They are expected to recover but a later harvest and some yield loss is expected.

- Tomatoes in the Leamington, Chatham-Kent and Ridgetown areas experienced varying amounts of damage. In some areas up to 80% of the tomato plants are damaged, some of which will not recover and will need to be replanted.

- Asparagus in the Chatham-Kent area was hit by cold temperatures Saturday morning. Asparagus plants will start to grow new spears as soon as the weather is warmer.

- Early transplanted celery, peppers and onions in the Grand Bend and the Chatham-Kent area were damaged, much of it to the point they will not recover.

- Apple and pear trees are past bloom and are not as susceptible to cold temperatures. However, in the orchards that experienced the colder temperatures for longer periods of times there could be an impact on the shape and skin texture (russeting) on the fruit.

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Source: http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2013/05/28/after-lost-season-apple-growers-are-optimistic

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