Georgia fruit growers are loving the current colder weather and breathing a sigh of relief after unseasonably warmer temperatures nearly spelled disaster for some of their crops in December.

“With that warm weather and another week of that kind of weather, we really would have been in a bind. We were kind of sweating it out a little bit,” says Drew Echols, general manager of Jaemor Farms in NE Georgia.

Echols, who also serves as president of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, says he has regular contact with growers in the state.

“Our strawberry crop (in December) was trying to put on a little bit too much growth. Not really blooming, but kind of getting vigorous,” Echols tells WSB Radio. “Seriously, just in about a week’s time frame, it’s like a light switch flipped and winter got here to Georgia.”

“Last thing you want to see is a whole lot of blooms out there in the dead of winter, because there’s no way to keep those blooms viable until spring. So, we were really fortunate.”

Echols also says blueberry plants in south Georgia’s Valdosta area were in the danger zone for a time in December into early January. While they were short of blooming, the plants were beginning to bud-out a little bit says Echols. The current colder weather now slowing that process too.

Georgia’s peach crop at this point, looks to be the best in the past five years. Echols says peach growers are ecstatic, as the crop is in line for the hoped-for 700 to 800 ‘chill hours’ for optimum flavor.

North Georgia just went through a winter weather event last weekend. Now, growers are crossing fingers for more of the same - or at least just colder temps to come in the days ahead.

“The 10-day forecast looks pretty chilly, so we’ll just cross our fingers as we always do. This is the time of year when farmers really are gambling.”

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