April showers may bring May flowers, but May showers can pose a
major threat when it comes to the local cherry crop.
April showers may bring May flowers, but May showers can pose a major threat when it comes to the local cherry crop.
That’s why some cherry growers are concerned this week as the National Weather Service predicts scattered showers during the next few days.
“Cherries is a one-shot thing,” Morgan Hill grower Andy Mariani said. “All your eggs are in a basket. And someone runs over your basket, and that’s it.”
Cherries are most susceptible to rain damage when they go from pink to red coloration, Mariani said. The rainwater seeps into the fruit through the skin, and those fruits that have the most sugar inside are the ones that tend to crack first, he said.
Thankfully, rains over the weekend did not cause too many problems, according to local farmers.
“The rains we’ve had haven’t been that detrimental,” said cherry grower Ralph Santos, owner of Gilroy-based El Camino Orchards.
On the other hand, Santos said the rains that started Tuesday could ruin the entire crop, particularly if they last into nightfall.
“This isn’t doing us any good,” Santos said.
National Weather Service Forecaster Steve Anderson expected more wet weather on Wednesday and Thursday. The storms result from a system off the coast of Alaska, he said. Although May actually has been slightly dryer than usual, the cold nature of the storms is unusual, Anderson said.
The National Weather Service predicts a high of 67 degrees and low of 52 degrees for Wednesday and a high of 63 degrees and low of 48 degrees for Thursday.
Farmers appeared more concerned about the rain than the cool conditions this week. Yet, growers have several measures at their disposal to try to prevent rain damage, Mariani said. For instance, they can spray crops with a protective coating or spray them with blowers to try to remove water from the fruit. Still, all of those methods will only have a limited amount of success if the rains are strong, Mariani said.
“Nothing is really surefire,” he said.
It was unclear what impact Tuesday’s rain had on this year’s crop as of the late afternoon. However, farmers indicated they are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.
“The rain now is devastating,” Santos said.
An updated story on the fate of the South County cherry crop will be posted Thursday.
