After last year’s devastating harvest with no peaches or cherries across most of Green Bluff, those trees are now filled with buds like never before, signaling a great crop this summer!
“This year, totally different story. The peach trees are just roped and loaded,” said Todd Beck, owner of Beck’s Harvest House, one of the many orchards at Green Bluff, the popular fruit-picking destination just north of Spokane.
The dramatic turnaround comes just a year after growers saw no buds following the peach and cherry tree blooms. They believe the lack of crop was from a deep freeze that happened early in the winter before the trees went dormant, resulting in what Beck described as “a 100% loss on two different crops,” something he had never experienced before.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Green Bluff farmers face fruit loss due to cold weather
“That was brutal,” Beck said.
This year, the branches are so full with developing fruit, that growers need to thin them out.
“It’s something that we’re going to have to do a lot of this year, just because there’s almost too many on the tree right now that the tree can’t support that much weight,” Beck explained.
Craig Deitz, owner of Bodacious Berries Fruits and Brews, said this year could be one of his best harvests yet.
“It really makes us feel good to know that the trees did survive a pretty hard hit. But they, like all of us, are resilient. And they come back and they’ll provide for us again,” Beck said.
The recovery means visitors can once again look forward to the treasured summer tradition of picking fresh peaches and cherries at Green Bluff.
“Providing the rest of the summer progresses like we hope it will, there should be a lot of fruit out here for everyone,” Beck added.
Beck’s Harvest House opens for the season on May 23.
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