South Carolina Peach Crop Hit by Cold Weather
In the wake of recent cold weather, South Carolina peach growers are assessing the extent of the damage.
The crop was originally hit by a late-March hard freeze during which temperatures dropped to 28 degrees on back to back nights, according to WBJF.
"We did have a freeze in late-March that gave us a little bit of crop damage. So overall I'd say we have 75% of our crop. We lost some of our early varieties due to that, especially in some low-lying areas," said Chalmers Carr, owner of Titan Farms.But Mother Nature wasn’t finished there. Last week, temperatures dropped to 40 degrees, a record low. Things didn’t get cold enough to cause more damage, however it slowed production down by two weeks.
Despite the cold, the news isn’t all bad for Titan Farms.
"We've had a very long, drawn-out bloom. We've had good cell development which should make for larger sized peaches as we go into the ripening process. It gives the fruit a better chance of getting its sweetness as well," said Carr.
If temperatures had been one to two degrees colder, Carr said he would have lost the whole crop.
