FRANKFORD, Del. - Spring is a stressful time for fruit growers on Delmarva. A late season frost or freeze can be devastating for fruit growers.
At Bennett Orchards in Frankford, they grow peaches and nectarines for summer consumption. The fruit begin to grow during the spring with a bountiful bloom of flowers in March and April. Once the buds form, the weather, especially the air temperature, plays a crucial role in determining how much fruit is available in July and August.
This past Monday morning featured one of those surprise late season freezes as temperatures tumbled to near 25 degrees on parts of Bennett Orchards. Temperatures falling to these levels can cause significant issues. The good news, so far, is that Henry Bennett of Bennett Orchards observed healthy fruit when going around the orchards to check for any damage.
“What we do to assess damage is after about 24 hours, we can take and open a peach blossom…and you’re going to see…it’s green, it’s not brown.” Henry Bennett explained to WRDE, “If there was any frost damage it would look like a banana you just pull out of the freezer. It would be brown and mushy.”
Henry went on to explain to WRDE, that they and other fruit growers on Delmarva are not completely out of the woods. There may have been damage that occurred that may not be seen until the fruit more fully develops later in the spring, but as of now they are hopeful. Henry remains hopeful that they will not see losses like those observed in two out of the last five years when they lost over 50 percent of their crop due to late season frost and freezes.
Bennett Orchards and other orchards like them are not yet out of the woods when it comes to the potential for damage to their fruits. The fruit will remain susceptible until harvest, which occurs during the mid to late summer.