Rain too kind to orchards
Bumper crop has
growers eager for people to pick their own
|
October 04, 2009
fter the summer's heavy rains, fruit growers were facing a nail-biter forecast on the effects of weather on their crop yield — as it turns out there was little need for concern.It was a bumper crop.
According to Billy Haseotes, owner of Honey Bee Orchards in West Brookfield, the apple crop was this year's crowd pleaser.
"We have had a lot of fruit this season," said Haseotes. "There has been so much fruit [at all of the orchards in the area] that prices have gone way down."
Price has always been a point of concern when people come down to making the choice of where to buy their fruit — at grocery store or at orchards.
"I hope that people choose to support local growers," Haseotes said.
There are many different factors that go into having a good crop of apples in a season, he indicated. One is the amount of precipitation during the beginning of the season and the temperatures during the winter before.
See Tuesday's Southbridge Evening News for complete coverage of community news.
