Weekend storms have left a mark on North East cherries, but not caused major damage as picking gears up.
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Seasonal factors such as rain and humidity can damage fruit on the tree but Bill Hotson, Hotson’s Cherries at Chiltern, said the season was loooking good, so far.
“The weather can be a little bit of a problem but we expect that at this time of the year,” Mr Hotson said on Monday.
“We saw some splitting this morning. Any real heavy rain is a problem because the excess moisture can cause them to expand and split.”
He will keep an eye on the rain radar in coming days, after the Bureau of Meteorology said there was a 90 per cent chance of up to 20mm of rain on Wednesday and Thursday.
Cherry picking was expected to continue in the North East throughout November and December.
It started probably a bit earlier than normal, but ... it’s a good crop this year and picking will run right through to Christmas
- Bill Hotson
The cold winter has helped fruit set and most growers are experiencing good yields.
“Our yields are better than last year, we just need to get some size into them,” said Tony Rak, of Cherrybrook Cherry Farm near Wangaratta.
“We’ll be finished early this year, because we started picking a few days early, but the weather can play a part.
“The rain at the weekend was good for us, we got a good soak but it dried quickly and we haven’t seen any damage.”
Cherrybrook delivers cherries to Wangaratta and Benalla and sell at farmers markets.
They also export to Asia and Europe.
Hotsons cherries are available at supermarkets, green grocers and restaurants in the North East, as well regional farmers markets.
“It started probably a bit earlier than normal, but sometimes they are right in late October, it’s usually around the Melbourne Cup,” Mr Hotson said.
“It’s a good crop this year and picking will run right through to Christmas, we’ve got 15 varieties so if one gets hit by the weather we can just move on to the next one.”
