Season of SURPRISES
JUDIE STEEVES
Crops rebound as weather turns from dreary and cool to warm and dry for a late harvest.
By Judie Steeves
he best weather of the past summer was in September, when most would consider summer over, so a successful berry harvest this year was a surprise rather than expected.
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“I’ve never seen such a strange year: you couldn’t put three sunny days together until the end of August,” commented the agriculture ministry’s berry specialist Mark Sweeney, in looking back over the past season.
Weather was cool and variable from the beginning to the end of this year’s season for most growers, yet overall the crop performance was not bad, he concluded.
Raspberries suffered from a slow
spring and uneven bud break, and growers figured the crop was going to be ‘awful,’ noted Sweeney. But, although there was no sun, it was dry during flowering, so the pollination was pretty good. It was a late harvest by two or three weeks, but the weather was perfect, with temperatures of around 20 C and it was dry, so yields were higher. “I just wish the market was better,” he commented.
Most of the valley’s raspberries go for processing, due to the growth of the California fresh market, even though they’re a delicate fruit that doesn’t travel well.
But, this year’s fruit was of good quality and the crop was marketed well. Blueberries were also late because of the spring
for bees to get in to pollinate, so it’s important that bee flight be good during pollination, and that bees are brought in to the fields.
“Pollination is easy for most crops, like raspberries, which have an open flower,” he noted.
New growers of blueberries advised to heed the need for a good supply of pollinating bees.
weather, and there was bad weather in bloom, which made it difficult to get good pollination, Sweeney said. Both blueberries and cranberries have a closed flower that is difficult
New growers must be aware of the need for enough good bees for pollination of blueberries or they’ll harvest dismal crops, said Sweeney.
Weather is also a factor. Sunny, warm weather is needed to coax the bees out. That’s where a native population of bumblebees nearby is helpful, because they will fly in more inclement weather. Growers need to encourage wild habitat and food for them to stay around.
Despite the weak start,
the weather did cooperate for harvest. It turned dry and temperatures moderated allowing the harvest period to last longer, from mid-July to mid-September.
British Columbia Berry Grower • Winter 2011-12 9
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