Heat Dome

I have been remiss in updating the journal as the summer really kicked off much sooner than we would have liked with the June ‘Heat Dome’. This sped up our cherry harvest and launched us into survival mode. Did you know that next year’s fruit buds are produced within a month of this year’s harvest? It was a minimum of 105-110 everywhere on the farm but no place was hotter than the greenhouse, topping out near 120. We dramatically increased irrigation and sprayed a kaolin clay to reduce evapotranspiration from the leaves. And now, nearly a month later, things look pretty rough in there with some yellowing leaves but luckily we’re seeing new growth on the trees. Only time will tell for next year’s crop.

Elsewhere, signs of suffering have been more immediate. Many of our apples became sunburnt and developed large lesions. Scalding also occurred on our peaches and plums, though to a lesser degree. It seems that certain varieties were harder hit than others, reinforcing the value of planting a diversity of trees within the same species.

Temperatures settled back down but we’re now forced to reckon with the notion that these heatwaves are becoming the new normal, and develop strategies to cope. I’m sure that there is a bright side to the dryness and heat, perhaps a reduction in fungal spores? But it’s been 66 days without a drop of rain and none in the forecast. I’m really hoping for a soaking rainshower sometime soon!