We are no longer accepting vegetable/ garden shares for the 2009 season.

Apricot, cherry and plums have been decimated by late March freezes.  The night of March 26-27, cold air blowing in with the storm front swept away any warmth in the Colorado River basin that would drive the canyon breeze that usually protects Palisade’s fruit orchards in the tender stages around blossom time.  The wind did not let up all night, making the orchard heaters useless in the apricots.  Likewise, the wind machines that sometimes protect our peaches, plums and cherries are redundant when the wind is blowing.  Virtually all apricots, having completing blossom, were killed, and half of the cherry buds.  A second event, Sunday night (April 29-30) snow covered the blossoms, but the temps sank below twenty.  Cutting buds showed that the rest of the cherries were probably lost (except for a few for the birds) and some peaches.  As the snow was protecting the blossoms, and the air above the windmachines being cold, running them would have chilled the blossoms even more, so all we could do was wait it out.  We ran wind machines the next night, though it was not too cold.

Barring subsequent freezes, we do expect a fairly good crop of peaches, and some apples and pears from Ela Family Farms.  None of this is certain, as we are bracing for another storm Saturday April 4, with a forecast low of 23 degrees.  The wind is expected to blow.  We’ll spend the night watching, and start the machines if the wind abates and there is sign of an inversion.

We have stopped the sale of Weekly Fruit and Fruit Bounty shares as of April 1, 2009.  Deposits for fruit shares postmarked prior to April 1, 2009 will be honored, as much as possible.  Members making an early commitment, sharing the risk, will have priority for the cherries, apricots and plums that we do harvest.  As long as we reasonable expect to harvest peaches, apples and pears, we will offer Diminished fruit shares -$75 for a weekly share, $150 for the Fruit Bounty.  Tomatoes, melons and other annual fruits may be substituted for the tree fruits.

Should our prospects for peaches be drastically limited, we will again curtail fruit share sales, giving priority to those whose deposits have been postmarked prior to the crop limiting event.

Thank you for your support and participation in the fruit crop.  Please share your comments and questions.