Fruit Growing Season Early This Year?

[Coast]

An article on the BBC breakfast news this morning detailed how early the apples are ripening this year. I picked a large container of blackberries last week form the bushes in our staff car park and I've already seen conkers on the ground (although this may be squirrel activity). Have you noticed the fruits and berries coming out much earlier this year?

“2011 has been an early season and two weeks in front of last year,†said Nicholas Marston, Managing Director of Berry Gardens Ltd, at Fruit Focus, the fruit industry’s showcase event held on Wednesday 20th July at East Malling Research, Kent.

“And this was not just down to the weather,†he continued, “but our growers are increasingly getting better at forcing their crops early. The result has been steady production, where supply has closely matched demand, with a need to import on occasion to maintain service levels.â€

According to Mr Marston, the latest Kantar Worldpanel data shows that the UK strawberry market has grown by 13.9% by value and 10% by volume in the past year but the near double increase that Kantar shows in the past three months is a reflection of the increased availability due to the advanced season. He commented that, “Berry Gardens’ conventional strawberry volumes have grown by 5% since the start of this season to Saturday 16th July, which has been produced off a slightly smaller area. The value per kilo has also risen by 5% to date when compared with 20104.“

Mr Marston gave credit to Berry Gardens retail customers who, he said, had again given excellent exposure to berries this year supported by TV advertising, newspaper adverts, allocation of significant shelf space in store and deployment of many promotional mechanics, including multi-buy deals and free pots of cream.

“Growing the sales volume has also been achieved in a period when our growers have had some significant challengesâ€, said Paul Kelsey, Chairman, “including snow and low temperatures causing frost damage to some plants in December, 2010, increasing incidences of damaging pests and diseases and the 100+ mph winds in Scotland that occurred on the 23rd May, which caused significant loss of polytunnels in the region. Our Scottish growers had a mammoth job to straighten and re-erect the steelwork, and then re-cover their tunnels afterwards. This has added a significant cost burden to their businesses as well as a 10 – 15% loss of marketable crop on average.â€

http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=83769

[chionomaniac]

Already harvested all my peas and removed the plants and my plums too!

[picog]

I think the hazel nuts seem very large for the time of year (but the kernel is very tiny), and plums seem ahead of schedule too. The blackbirds have already starting pecking the apples, and that doesn't normally happen until August. So, yes I would say fruit and nuts are early. Veggies seem about right.

[Alan Robinson]

My plums have begun to drop off the tree. This is a few weeks earlier than 2010 and 2009. My neighbour's cherries all disappeared a few weeks ago, but that was due to a huge flock of starlings ........................nice to see them, they have been scarce for a good many years around these parts.

[Snowangel-MK]

I'm not sure if it's because they're early or just a bumper crop but one branch of my apple tree is so loaded I think it's going to have to be propped up as it's in danger of snapping off ! I have a 4 year old grapevine in the south facing part of the back garden which is completely smothered in grapes, (I really need to find someone who makes wine I would gladly give them away in exchange for some of the wine). Also the other thing I have noticed is at the front of the house there is a mountain ash, the berries seem much bigger and brighter than normal and that is covered as well (until the birds start eating them anyway). I would like to think it's a sign we are going to get a very cold winter with lots of snow, but that's probably wishful thinking !

[Methuselah]

It could be down to the very early start to the growing season? April was a tad unusual...

[Costa Del Fal]

Our Apples are all pretty fully grown. A good few weeks early in my opinion!

[Wynn D Woo]

Our Apples are not ready yet, and judging by their size it will be at least another month still i think.

There are tonnes of Blackberries ready now though and have been ready for a good two or three weeks, the early start to spring does seem to have brought some things forward about a fortnight.

[Snowyowl9]

This cooler summer has slowed things down in growth and it`s very dry.

But we had an unprecidented amount of blossum this spring and 75% more plumes than ever only half a tree left thogh due to the heavy snow breaking the branches 2 years ago,it usually doesn`t bring hardly any plumes on a normal year,theres damsons by the bucket loads not ripe yet and pears branches are almost at breaking point too early yet.

[stewfox]

My tomatoes are useless this year, anyone else or have I just a bad bunch

Edited August 14, 2011 by stewfox

[Snowyowl9]

My tomatoes are useless this year, anyone else or have just a bad bunch

We had some cherry tomatoes of a friend they are nice and sweet.

[picog]

My tomatoes are useless this year, anyone else or have just a bad bunch

Mine too. All outdoors, all cherry, all in same place as previous years where they have done well. Taste is good, but yield is very poor and they are slow to ripen.