Well! We dodged the Bullet! The “Brown Rot Blossom Blight” bullet, that is! It was the classic convergence of rain on the blossoms combined with warm temperatures. The same weather conditions occurred recently in two consecu- tive years, 2010 and 2011, causing total crop failures in our apricots for both of those years.
This year we have a full crop of “cots” in all varieties, with only minor infec- tions of the feared fungal pathogens widely scattered in the Goldensweet variety. The reason for this good outcome……compost! Over the past two years we’ve been applying about 10 ton per acre per year to the apricots. This has changed the biology of the soil ecosphere, and improved the structure of the soil as well, enabling the trees’ immune system to resist infection.
It’s still too early to assess other crops but each day we see more fruit on the branches of plums, nectarines, and pears, as the tiny fruits are shedding their blossom jackets and growing a little each day.
Farmers up and down the state are all doing the same thing, and we’re all wor- ried because of the extremely unusual winter weather we’ve just experienced. No one can remember another winter like it, with warm balmy days of tem- peratures in the 60’s even in December and January.
Even farmers, most of whom are ultra-conservatives, are now realizing that global warming is real… facing the double threats of severe drought along with the “too warm” temperatures of last winter. We’re facing more uncertainty than ever before.
2014 will be a pivotal year for us, and we will appreciate the support of our CSA members more than ever before.