Despite rumors of weather-stunted cherries, farmers from around the B.C. and the Okanagan say 2019 is shaping up to be another great summer harvest.
BC Fruit Grower鈥檚 Association president Pinder Dhaliwal confirms the province will 鈥渉ave some nice, crunchy cherries this year.鈥�
The BCFGA president said that barring any serious rainfall, cherry-pickers can look forward to sprouting-time within the next 10 days or so, depending on the area and the farm.
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鈥淲e鈥檝e had showers, but nothing to harm the cherries,鈥� said Dhaliwal.
There has been speculation that the nooks and crannies of the sporadic Okanagan early summer might harm the production of this year鈥檚 batch, but it hasn鈥檛 been anything significant enough for the farmers to notice.
The crop might be 鈥渓ighter鈥�, according to Dwane Dickinson, the 77-year-old owner of Dickinson Family Farm, but 鈥淚鈥檓 happy with it.鈥�
The Dickinson Family Farm has stayed within the ancestral tree since its opening in 1912 and looks forward to another season in business.
鈥淚t鈥檚 sort of a family set up here. Parents can show their kids that cherries don鈥檛 grow at Safeway,鈥� said Dickinson in a hearth of chuckles.
Other cherry farms around the Okanagan also confirm the words of Dickinson and Dhaliwal: the folks over at Sun City Cherries agree that cherry season is looking good, with the exception of a lighter crop this year.
The colder nights early on affected Sun City鈥檚 crops, said manager Gordie Sandhu, but he thinks the 鈥渙verall cherry production should go up because of the new plantings.鈥�
鈥淪o far the weather now has been good,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want rain during the harvest.鈥�
Sandhu and his team at Sun City Cherries are anticipating that their cherries will be in around the second week of July.
鈥淕rowing season on our end is looking decent,鈥� said Sandhu.
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The real problem, BCFGA president admits, is the lack of apricots due to an abundance of frost earlier in the year.
鈥淚f you see B.C. apricots, then get them while you can because they are a hot commodity,鈥� Dhaliwal said.
David.venn@kelownacapnews.com
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