Orchardists anticipate bumper peach crop

Summer-like temperatures throughout much of the spring, combined with more than 7 inches of rain since May began, may seem an annoyance for some central Virginia residents.

But for owners of area peach orchards, those little annoyances are just what they needed to make this year's crop potentially one of the best in recent history.

Bennett Saunders, of Saunders Brothers Orchard in Piney River in Nelson County, said that after a few years of subpar production, his family's orchard is set to yield its best crop in years.

"It's probably been five or six years since we've had a total crop," Saunders said. "It is the first time in five or six years that there's been no frost damage."

At the Saunders orchard, where workers were in the fields thinning the crop Wednesday, the first peaches are set to ripen within about two weeks.

Saunders said his early peaches are looking good, and he anticipates picking the first crop around June 20.

"Our goal is to have a continuous supply of peaches from the 20th of June through the month of September," he said.

Michael Lachance, Nelson County's Virginia Cooperative Extension agent, said the rainy weather was good for the area, and hopefully helped to replenish the soil.

"We're happy to see things dry off, but we're also very happy to get some water recharge into the soil," he said, adding, "It looks like we're going to have good crops this upcoming year."

Lachance also said freezes throughout Central Virginia have been sporadic, and haven't caused much trouble for the crops.
Dave Thompson is a staff writer for The News & Advance in Lynchburg.