May 7, 2012

April freezes harmed Wisconsin tart cherry crop

Tart cherry bloom in Door County is earlier than normal this year. Growers expect their orchards to be in full bloom from this weekend through the middle of May. But unlike other years, this season’s bloom is not promising a bountiful harvest.

According to a news release Wednesday from Terry Sorenson, president of the Wisconsin Cherry Growers Association, unseasonably warm temperatures in March have left many tree fruit growers in Northeastern Wisconsin in quite a predicament.

Tree fruit buds were so advanced that it was impossible to expect they could have survived the normal freezing temperatures of April, the release said. Damage arrived in late March when trees were exposed to a wind freeze while at a very sensitive stage. Since then, flower buds have been exposed to freezing temperatures several times, trimming crop potential each time. Green Bay Press Gazette

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