LOCAL growers are saying the summer and autumn crop is looking good, but a frost played some havoc in October.
Don Nightingale of Nightingale’s Apples said their fruit set is strong, with a warm spring helping foster active bee pollination.
“We’ve got nice crops, looking good,” he said,
“The drier season is definitely more favourable for growers.”
He said it is too soon to tell for chestnuts as they have not begun flowering.
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The trees are healthy, he said, but a late October frost did hit around 30-40 acres of chestnut trees at their property in Stanley.
Orchardist Henry Hilton from Snowline Fruits in Stanley said he protected his trees from that same cold snap by spraying them with water, a trick he has been using for “donkey’s years”.
The watering uses a process called ‘the latent heat of fusion’ to keep plants from freezing.
While the plants may be coated with ice due to the water, the process of water freezing emits warmth that allows the plants to stay above their freezing temperature, which is slightly lower than water.
“As long as you keep the water going it doesn't matter how much ice is there,” he said.
“That latent heat just keeps the plants from freezing.”
However, that same technique meant he damaged some raspberry canes; the ice build-up on the shoots caused them to break from the weight.
“That's life on the land,” he said.
Mr Hilton said his fruit business is up for sale after working in the industry for around 50 years, attributing the move to his age and increasing costs of operation.
The 75-year-old said government regulation as well as increasing costs of wages, freight, insurance, electricity and fuel was making the business more demanding.
“Regulations and rules are making life difficult, along with the cost increases,” he said.
“The fun’s gone out of it.”
Meanwhile, Eurobin berry grower Rain Wang said he’s only growing blueberries and blackberries this year, but it’s likely to be a good crop even though weather has been a little dry.
