Record-breaking Okanagan heat could mean record cherry crop

KELOWNA – It’s been a record-breaking season for heat and that could mean a record-breaking season for Okanagan cherries.

Penny Gambell has been an Okanagan fruit grower for more than 60 years and says this is already shaping up to be a stand-out season.

“In all my years, this is the earliest,” says Gambell.

“They have just popped and that means that it’s so warm, the cell division occurs much quicker. That’s why they are growing so quickly.”

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For a second year in a row, there is an early harvest of fruit.

“We’ve probably had one of the earliest and warmest seasons we’ve had in a long time and we didn’t think that was going to happen, but mother nature kind of threw us a curve ball,” says Hank Markgraf, a grower services manager at B.C. Tree Fruits.

“We are roughly three weeks ahead of where we normally are,” he says.

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For cherries, this season is on track to be a record-breaker.

“For our grower numbers, we are looking at an estimated 12-million pound crop which is up from the 10.5-million pounds that we had last year,” says Chris Pollock, a marketing manager for the cooperative.

When it comes to other varieties of fruits, the cooperative estimates there will be an increase in pounds of fruit of between 20 and 25 per cent compared to last year.

“Apricots will follow soon after cherries and then peaches and nectarines into kind of early July,” says Pollock.

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READ MORE: Balmy spring worries B.C. apple growers

The early harvest of good-quality fruit has left many excited.

“I mean, we’ve got a lot of work coming towards us in the coming weeks but we are pretty darn excited about having a 12-million pound crop coming towards us,” says Markgraf.

That means you’ll be able to get your hands on some fresh, Okanagan-grown fruit sooner.

“It’s so early. Last year we opened our fruit stand around the 17 or 18 of June and this year it might be a couple of days before that,” says Gambell.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's so early. Last year we opened our fruit stand around the 17 or 18 of June and this year it might be a couple of days before that," says Gambell.

The B.C. Wine Institute says the spring bud break for grapes has also been earlier this year.

The warm weather isn’t posing any issues for wineries but many have had to bring on more staff earlier than expected to work the plants and make sure everything is on schedule.