NEWS. The orchard owners Saint-Germain and Wickham did not get the apple season off to the expected start. With the weather not on their side, they’re hoping for a little help from Mother Nature in the coming days.
Rain and heat. It is a mix of weather that has caused workers in the orchards to prepare for the current season in recent weeks.
“These are not normal temperatures for the month of September. Some apple varieties need more cold at night so that the red color of the apple can develop properly. The sugar will often develop, but the color won’t be quite right. Therefore, we have to wait before opening certain varieties for self-picking,” explains Joël Duhaime, co-owner of Verger & Cultures Duhaime, based in Saint-Germain.
As if there weren’t enough pitfalls, there’s also the frost, which makes things even more problematic.
“In the spring we had frost in full bloom. We had to set around forty fires throughout the orchard to save the crop. It was a successful operation, but this year it was rock ‘n’ roll. We did it, but we had to work extra hard,” he says.
However, he would like to mention that this is not a problem unique to them. “I belong to the Agropomme group, which is part of a group with several orchards in Quebec, such as Rougemont, and because of the weather everyone left more peacefully.”
In Wickham’s case, the season only started last week, but not everything was rosy for the production. “Rain doesn’t really harm our apple trees, but the lack of sunlight does more to them. That’s why the apples don’t grow as much,” says the man who looks after the fields at Verger Blanchard, Dany Vallières.
Both companies now hope to return to milder temperatures in the coming days. For this to be a good season, the conditions must be in place, assures Mr. Duhaime.
“It’s about receiving customers when the apple varieties are ripe. We need to have good weather on the weekend, no more than 40% rain, not too windy, not too hot and not too cold. “For people to be able to choose for themselves, the conditions really have to be perfect,” explains the latter.
Presence of people
Despite the bad weather, apple lovers continue to flock to the Saint-Germain location.
“People still showed up. We have loyal customers who come in up to three or four times during the season to purchase certain varieties that other orchards do not have. People were there. “We certainly saw a few fewer families in the 40 degree weather, but I’m sure we’ll catch up with them later in the season,” says Mr. Duhaime.
When it comes to apple varieties, the co-owner says his company has an advantage that not all orchards in Quebec can benefit from.
“We have apple varieties that we don’t find elsewhere because we are a member of La Pomme de Tomorrow, and we continue to promote these varieties to make them better known. We don’t just have classics like Macintosh, Lobo and Spartan,” he says .
As for Wickham, unfortunately it’s a little harder to attract people this year.
“It is certain that because of the rain we do not have many people coming to self-pick. This has an impact on the business because if no one comes to pick apples, we don’t make any money and we don’t make a profit on our harvest,” says Mr. Vallières.
Even though apples are sold at the reception, picking them yourself is still a family activity for visitors.
“Very often people come to take part in the activity and not to eat the apples. “Certainly they leave with a bag, but if these people don’t come and take over the pick-your-own activity, there are a lot of people who won’t buy apples,” he continues.
New additions to the orchards
In order to attract a new group of customers, the Saint-Germain orchard announces that certain new products are available to visitors.
“I continued my biological control approach. I created little clips on my Facebook page to explain to customers the efforts made this year. I have three insect pests that we converted to organic. This saved us 15 to 16 insecticide treatments,” says the man, who co-owns with his father.
“We also completely renovated the park. “I really hope that the little ones come in large numbers,” he adds.
Family activities such as inflatable games are available to young people in Wickham.
“If we don’t have these games, almost 50% fewer people come to us,” explains Dany Vallières.
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