Cold start to spring affecting local crops - Tri-State News, Weather & Sports

Billy Reid represents a fourth generation of Reid's Orchard farmers. 

With one of the coldest April 16th's in history, you would d think it would be time for him to worry about his peaches. But he says he's not.

"I know that today is like 33, 32 degrees," Reid said. "I don't worry about that weather. It's when it's going to be be 30 and no wind."

But some of the really cold temperatures in the last few weeks have killed off some of the peach blooms.

"We probably lost some varieties maybe 20 percent up to 40 percent bloom kill," explained Reid. "But you still only need five, 10 percent blooms left."

That's because peaches need to be about eight inches apart on a branch to grow into the juicy fruit we love.

"On this limb you've got 16," he said. "Probably some fell off. You probably had 25 blooms on there. You want two peaches left on there."

Billy admits this year's weather has proved to be unusual.

"Here it is the 16th of April, it should be a lot warmer than it is today," he said. "Just the peaches might be late."

But he knows he can't control it.

"We just work for mother nature," Reidsaid. "So whatever she wants to have, we have."

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