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["Doreen Howard" <gardendiva@charter.net>]

I'm about 25-30 miles northwest of Dennis on the Wisconsin border (Zone 4b-5a) and report the same.  I only have one peach--Saturn, and it had only two flowers.  The tree was loaded with fruit buds, and I figured I'd have a huge crop.  But, all the fruit buds dried up and fell off the tree as the leaf buds opened.  Very disappointing, but not unexpected given the warm January. The fruit buds were plump up until late March.

Doreen Howard

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Dennis Norton

To: North American Fruit Explorers

Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 12:23 PM

Subject: [NAFEX] No peaches this year

I don't know about anyone else in Zone 5/5a but we will have very few peaches this year on our 900+ peach trees.  After having consulted with our entomologist who services northern Illinois, Wisconsin, southern Michigan and southern Minnesota, he indicated that is also the case at other orchards in his territory, especially southern Michigan.  Seems like the several +50 degree days we had in January were enough to fake out the peach trees into thinking it was time to come out of dormancy.  Just about the time they woke up, it went to below zero for a few nights and bingo!  We have plenty of buds, but very few blossoms.  Anyone else experience this?  Now, our pears are a different story.  We have more blossoms than we can remember for quite a few years.  Go figure.