Fans of Fredericksburg peaches may have a harder time finding the fuzzy fruit this summer after a combination of unusual winter weather and a damaging freeze severely reduced this year’s crop. Peach growers in Gillespie County say warm winter temperatures followed by a sudden cold snap in March disrupted the growing season, leaving many orchards with little or no fruit production. That’s a big deal in the Hill Country, particularly the Fredericksburg and Stonewall areas, which are known as some of the state’s top peach-producing regions.
Some orchard operators are warning customers to be wary of peaches marketed as “Fredericksburg peaches” this year because of the unusually low supply. “If you see a sign on the side of the road throughout the state of Texas that’s trying to sell Fredericksburg peaches again, there’s a 99.99% chance they are not Fredericksburg peaches,” Barrett Jenschke, of Jenschke Orchards, told KXAN.
Texas A&M Agrilife announced earlier this month that a reduced yield is also expected from fruit like apples, blackberries and blueberries due to an overall drop in “chill hours.” Chill hours are defined as the number of hours temperatures stay below 45 degrees during winter. Plants carrying fruit need chill hours to overcome dormancy, with different fruit varieties requiring a different number of hours. Tim Hartmann — an AgriLife Extension statewide fruit specialist and assistant professor — equated chill hours to sleep. Without enough time, plants will be in poor shape to produce.
Despite the setbacks, some fruit will likely be available later in the season, though in much smaller quantities than many Texans may have hoped.