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  • From: "Glen Eco Farm" <glenecofarm AT planetcomm.net>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Pricing Ripe Apricots?
  • Date: Mon, 12 May 2008 00:27:32 -0400

About 12 years ago I planted three apricot trees on a south facing slope where I felt there would be good cold air drainage and a decent chance of getting a crop once in a while in our zone 6 climate (borderline for peaches and apricots). I got the first fruit set around 2000 and lost the whole crop when the fruits reached about marble size, I assume caused by some no see um pest (codling moths?) that got to them. I got another fruit set in 2004 and this time, determined to improve my odds a little of getting a crop, I relaxed my "do it organically" standards enough to allow going after the pests with a combination of chemical fruit tree spray and Surround during early stage fruit development. As the fruit began to ripen in early June I resisted any furthur spraying. Then we got 9 - 10 inches of rain in a five day period and we basically lost the crop again when brown rot moved in with a vengance. We were able to salvage enough of the rot tainted fruit to allow my wife to make a big batch of fabulous apricot jam only to lose it in last year's house fire.

After three years in a row of blossom freezes and risking my neck climbing on my tractor front end loader raised to the max in order to prune back the 20' tall top growth that easily grows another 5 - 6' per season, I was ready to give those trees the "chain saw at the base" treatment. Being busy enough with other tasks to cause me to put off this "I hate to do it task" and the "Maybe global warming will improve my chances of sucess with apricots" argument kept me from doing it. Well guess what. We had a zone 8 winter here and another good fruit set. so I am back to babying those trees again and intend to spray them up until the day before I start harvesting. I have done two chemical applications so far and plan to go with the non toxic Surround for the next couple of applications and, God willing, will finish with copper applications to hopefully avoid the brown rot wiping me out at the end. If anyone out there knows of a better and safer low chemical strategy I'm listening.

I'm also interested in others' experiences with marketing apricots and what I should be able to charge for them. Considering some of the production costs and risks I would need to price them pretty steep in order make a little on them. I sure hope my wife can find a little time to make some more of that jam. Anyone who has never tasted any of her raspberry and or apricot jam has simply not lived!

Marlin Burkholder
Virginia's Shenandoah Valley

Still waiting for the winter of 2007-2008 to begin.





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