April Update - Baby Peaches!

We've been thinning the peaches now for about a week. They are in various stages of growth. We are so excited to see the little swells at the base of a shriveled flower! This is especially true after the early April freeze. We narrowly escaped those cruel low temps... our thermometer in the barn showed a low of about 35, so we were definitely in the clear. I've read reports though, that the Hill Country was not so lucky.

I don't know if I'll ever be comfortable with this fact of life as a farmer. It seems so cruel that the success or failure of your whole year's crop comes down to 2 hours or so of freezing temperatures at the wrong time. I know it's reality and it's best to take it in stride, but I think I will always bite my nails with worry.

At least for now we are planning on a good crop! We've started the rounds of spraying for pests and weeds and the trees are getting a consistent supply of fertilizer and water through the irrigation system. We are also tidying up the orchard, picking up the pruned limbs and stacking them for a burn at a later time. There's always work to be done in the orchard while we wait (and hope) for the "fruits" of our labor.