Peach harvest is underway in Niagara-on-the-Lake, where farmers say this year’s weather has trimmed yields but boosted flavour.
At Epp Family Fruit Farms on East and West Line, Scott Epp said this year “has been challenging for every grower across the region.”
“It seems like it’s been hotter than normal,” he said.
The hot days and nights have sped up ripening, leaving peaches softer and slightly smaller, which could mean a lower yield this year, said Epp.
But the upside: the heat has also packed the peaches with more of a sugary punch, says longtime farmer Arnie Lepp from Niagara Orchard and Vineyard Corp.
“The fruit is incredibly sweet,” he said. “Yields are down a little bit, not a lot.”
The season begins with pruning the peach trees in early April, after workers arrive in late March.
By June, crews thin the fruit — spacing out peaches so the ones left behind can grow to the desired size.
Harvest starts in mid-July and runs into September, with every peach hand-picked, using ladders and harnesses when needed, then transported, packed and sold.
“It’s not mechanized,” said Epp.
He said the biggest challenge this year is timing — different varieties ripen at different times.
“You’re kind of bouncing around, trying to keep up,” he said.
No two seasons are ever the same, but according to Lepp, last year’s was “probably the most normal” he has ever seen. “It was quite early, which is nice to get on the market earlier,” he said.
But it won’t be clear how this year’s yield stacks up until the peach harvesting season ends, which Lepp expects in mid-to-late September.
“We’re a little bit later than last year this year,” he said. “Just weather-related.”
Epp said peaches are picky: they need water to grow, but hate “wet feet.”
The trees do best in sandy ground that drains quickly, he said, adding that NOTL and the rest of the Greenbelt is prime peach country.
He said shifting trade dynamics with the United States have reshaped the market a bit.
“It’s making people appreciate Ontario or Canada more,” he said.
Although the sector isn’t heavily reliant on U.S. imports, the push toward buying Canadian has made it stronger, he said. “You see it in the flyers in the supermarket.”
Hand-picking the harvest is no small feat and continues to keep crews busy in the orchards, said Epp.
“It’s a lot of work,” he said. “The farmworkers that harvest are amazing.”
