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Late Freezes Mean Produce Pushed Back
July 16, 2008
Late Freezes Mean Produce Pushed Back
BY DENISE MILLER
June 12 and July 3 may be two dates that go into the collective memory of northern New Mexico farmers.
June 12 brought a late freeze; a nasty hailstorm pelted crops July 3.
While frosts aren't entirely uncommon in early June, it is rare to have three successive nights of 18- to 20-degree ground temperatures in the second week, said Adam Mackie who farms upriver of Dixon in Apodaca.
"It killed some of the tomatoes, and all of the peppers will be set back about three weeks," said Mackie, who grows a wonderful array of specialty peppers that he estimates will now be available mid-August.
Our office estimates, based on reports from northern New Mexico farmers, that the total fruit crop from that area may be about one-third of the usual.
The area surrounding Dixon is well-known for its fruit, including apples, cherries, peaches and apricots, and while damage from the freeze is spotty, customers at northern area markets (Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Pojoaque, Dixon, Taos) may notice a lag in some of their favorite produce and less fruit than usual during July. The Albuquerque area wasn't affected by the unusual weather.
The July 3 hailstorm took seasoned farmers in the Jacona area by surprise when a full 2 inches of precipitation came down.
"There was 10 minutes of hail and 30 minutes of rain, and it wiped out our lettuce, tomatoes, and beet and carrot tops," said Natasya Gundersen of Mr. G's Organic Produce, who salvaged as much as she could with her husband, Gary.
The Gundersens have replanted their lettuce, arugula and radishes that should be ready for market by early August, but many of their beets will have to be harvested sooner than they would have preferred, as they get too hot from sun without their tops.
While their cucumbers survived because they had row cover to protect them from the pests, they also lost their tomato crop.
In the short term, the Gundersens had no product for three markets immediately following the storm, and when you're a small farmer with a short growing season, every week of market is an important part of your annual income.
