Peach trees drop their leaves in the fall and become dormant for winter. Dormancy is a period of winter rest when peach trees save their energy for rapid regrowth in the spring, and a peach tree at rest requires seasonably cold weather. A peach tree that doesn’t get enough cold weather during the winter might produce peaches that grow throughout spring but fail to mature in summer.
The weather for Georgia peach trees was perfect this past winter, and all of our local peach varieties fulfilled their cold weather requirements. After a peach tree gets some winter rest, warmer weather on the verge of spring prompts a reawakening, which we observe as a colorful bloom. The peach trees started blooming two or three weeks ago in central Georgia where the orchard shown above erupted into pastel pink at historic Dickey Farms.
A peach farm in bloom is a beautiful sight, but anxiety undermines the sense of beauty because a late frost can kill the vulnerable blossoms that bear our summer peaches.
We realized some of that fear this past week when temperatures at Dickey Farms fell below freezing on Monday and Tuesday. The frost reduced the supply of early-season clingstone peaches, but we do not send clingstone varieties on our summer road trip.
Breathe your sigh of relief.
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A late frost does not compromise the quality of peaches that survive the frost, so rest assured that another crop of world-class Georgia peaches awaits your pre-order for our summer road trip and mail order. The forecast remains excellent for trucking freestone Georgia peaches up the East Coast this June and July!
Pre-orders will open in early April, so keep an eye out for that email announcement!
See you on the road this summer!
Brandon Smith
Georgia Peach Truck Owner
