Tuesday may be the official first day of spring, but temperatures will not feel like it. With the potential of temperatures dipping into the 20s, farmers in the mountains are preparing.
Henderson County Cooperative Extension Director Terry Kelley said this is always a nervous time of year for farmers.
“Spring in the mountains is unpredictable,” he said.
He said the weather this time of year is always uncertain, but he believes apple farmers are in better shape now than they were this time last year because of the warm February.
With a milder winter this year, Kelley said the blooms are a little further behind, which is good when it comes to dealing with freezes.
But, that’s not to say farmers couldn’t see some damage come out of this freeze.
“We’re very hopeful, particularly in apples, that we’re still in pretty good shape right now. Peaches may be a little more susceptible,” Kelley said.
He said it really just depends on how cold it gets and how long the temperatures stay there.
“That’s the equation. Every year is, you know, temperature and time,” Kelley said.
Kelley said it’s also important to note that when talking about an orchard, you can’t go out there and throw a blanket over your crops.
“It’s just a lot harder with an orchard. You’re just covering a lot of territory. You’ve got tall trees, and it’s just a different animal,” he said.
Kelley said apples are in their in-between time. Farmers would, of course, prefer they not get a freeze, but they’re not far enough along yet to receive too much damage.
He said there may be some open blooms but not a lot, and, at the end of the day, cooler weather is better right now to help slow down the bloom.
“We don’t want to pop out there and then get a late freeze that really kills everything,” he said.
Kelley said it’s also important to remember it only takes about 20% of the blooms on an apple tree to make a full crop.
“If we lose a few here, it’s not going to be the end of the world,” he said.
Trey Enloe, a longtime apple farmer in Henderson County, said he’s optimistic going into the freezing temperatures.
He said that while the recent sunny days have made things bloom a bit quicker, we’re still in the normal timeframe.
“If the wind keeps moving, that cold air will kind of move out and we’ll be OK. But if it sits there, I think 30 minutes is kind of the timeframe. If it’s below 28 for 30 minutes is where you start getting some damage,” Enloe said.
“You get about a 10% loss at that rate. At a 25-24 range, some varieties you can lose up to 90 percent,” he said.
He said it depends on the bud stage and, right now, buds are still pretty tight and hardy. But, as they open, they become more exposed and that’s where they can take damage.
Enloe said this cold snap is no surprise.
“It’s something you see almost every year, and that’s kind of a blessing and a curse in North Carolina. We have a lot of microclimates and a lot of different weather,” he said.
Overall, Kelley and Enloe said it's better to get a freeze now rather three weeks from now.
STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOSMountain farmers prepare for spring freeze, remain hopeful despite uncertain weather (wlos.com)