I'm Not a Gambler, am I?

Apr 8, 2021

I’m not a gambler. Not in any way, shape, or form. I like to plan, to be in control, and I love schedules. (Sidenote: I’m a teacher by training. Need I say more?) But in my current reality, uncertainty is ever present. We are now in the midst of the “annual gamble”. It’s springtime, in Southern Indiana, where temperatures may fluctuate from freezing, to balmy, to mild, and back again to freezing. It’s this way every year. Hoping that the trees remain dormant long enough to withstand the inevitable spring frost events.

It happened last year. Freeze events the second week of April and then again on May 8! Yes, that’s right, we had a frost event in May last year! It was crazy.  Peach and nectarine harvests were around 50%, and  our sweet cherry crop was a total loss.

So, here we are in the first week of April. Our peach and nectarine trees started blooming about two weeks ago. Don’t you know it, on April 1 we had temperatures in the mid to low 20s. Oof…that is a nail biter! The experts say that these low temps could kill between 10% and 90% of the blooms. They also say that only about 10% of the blossoms are needed to produce a full crop. (Biological principle of overproduction at work). Whatever…it always makes me nervous.

We know that some trees are hardier than others and that the location/elevation of the plantings also impact the exposure. So, we walk the orchard, examining and picking apart blossoms to determine viability.  The report so far? We can tell that a section of nectarines (those on the west side without any protection) appear to have been hard hit. Our sweet cherry crop also is questionable. We will have peaches – how many is yet to be known. Apple trees are just now blooming out, and they look really good at the moment.

Just like a roll of the dice, a spin of the wheel, a turn of a card, I’m not in control of the outcome. Springtime in Southern Indiana, it’s always a gamble.