Apple Orchard
The 2023 growing season in the BC Southern Interior region is off to a delayed start, with blossom and harvest times running about two weeks behind schedule.
While apple and cherry trees make up the majority of the region’s tree fruit acreage, the BC Fruit Growers’ Association says this season’s expectations are mixed for different crops.
Apples and pears appear to have suffered minimal damage, and growers are optimistic about a normal harvest for these hardier tree fruits.
On the other hand, apricots and peaches have been affected more severely due to bud damage from last winter’s extreme cold.
Apricot growers expect a very light crop this year, while the extent of damage to peach orchards ranges widely from orchard to orchard.
Despite these challenges, cherry growers are hopeful for a promising season, the BCFGA says.
Although bud damage is predicted to have impacted 10-20% of the cherry crop, the remaining cherries are expected to be larger in size, resulting in an overall tonnage that is not significantly impacted.
Over the past two years, tree fruit growers in BC have faced challenging weather conditions, including the Heat Dome in 2021 and the extremely cold 2022 winter. Despite this, the prediction of an almost-normal growing season in 2023 is a much-needed ray of hope for growers.
BCFGA President Peter Simonsen says growers are also more confident of a generally good year due to the strong affiliation BC consumers have for buying local produce, which as helped growers literally weather the storms of the past few years.
“We thank consumers for shopping BC-local,” Simonen said. “The last few years have been tough, but we are committed to producing fruit of the highest quality for your tables.”
