Peaches
Extra early harvest concluded last week and Early harvest started on July 13th. Organic harvest is expected to finish up this week. The peach crop continues to look clean with only size being an issue.
Hail blocks continue to average anywhere from 3 to 15% damage with a few blocks in excess of 20%. Growers continue to assess these blocks daily to make plans prior to picking.
Avalon Palermo Orchard – The orchard in Palermo is doing well and has lots of new growth since the crew pruned the trees.
Pears
Harvest is in full swing on the river and quality continues to be good. Linden growers anticipate starting harvest this week. Growers want to let the fruit size more before they harvest in the Lake/Mendocino districts. A small amount of hail damage can be seen in a couple of orchards, but damage is minimal. Harvest is still anticipated to start the last week in July.
Tomatoes
Organic Tomatoes – The harvest continues. Fruit is not maturing as expected; with normal temperatures this week, ripening should resume back to normal. Woodland’s pack will conclude on Saturday.
Pear Shapes – Pear shape tomatoes continue to look good. Estimated harvest date should be at the end of this month.
Conventional Tomatoes – The conventional tomato crop has been maturing nicely. Estimated start date is July 27th.
Apricots
Apricot harvest is complete. Overall size and quality were above average. We were able to secure the tonnage to make a full pack.
Grapes
Anticipated start date for Bakersfield is July 23rd. A second round of sugar samples were taken and came in right at 14%. Size appears to be a little small, but should get better as we move into later blocks. Sugar samples will be taken in Madera next week.