GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.—Western Colorado peach growers say this year’s harvest will be late but plentiful.
Cold nights during springtime slowed the peaches’ development, so the initial harvest of some varieties will be smaller. But growers expect the fruit to be larger and more plentiful as the harvest progresses.
Some orchards expect to begin harvesting 10 to 15 days later than normal. Z’s Orchard says it began picking a few peaches this week.
Charlie Talbott of Talbott Farms says he expects this year’s crop to be about 90 percent of potential, compared with about two-thirds in 2009.
Colorado is the No. 7 peach producing state in the nation.
Federal statistics show Colorado produced 14,000 tons of peaches worth $18.5 million in 2008, the most recent statistics available.
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Information from: The Daily Sentinel,
