News

It's apple blossom time

By Marvin Owings Jr./Cooperative Extension Director, Published: April 14, 2015

Spring has finally arrived, and with it comes the annual Apple Blossom Tour.

The N.C. Cooperative Extension Center, the Blue Ridge Farm Direct Market Association and the Henderson County Travel and Tourism Office team are encouraging the public to take advantage of a free, self-guided Spring Apple Blossom Tour to see delicate petals and smell sweet blossom aroma. Blooms will hopefully mean another successful and productive year for our growers. The blossom indicates the bountiful harvest of what is to come this fall. Maps are available at the Extension County Center at 100 Jackson Park Road, Jackson Park, and the Henderson County Visitors Center at 201 S. Main St.
The Apple Blossom Tour team has created several driving tours throughout apple country. The tour includes miles and miles of apple orchards in the eastern half of Henderson County. The tour routes can take anywhere from a half hour to a half day. I encourage people taking the tour to stay on the public roads and not wander into the apple orchards that are private property. If you want to see the orchards up close, I would suggest a bike ride. This is a good option with most roads in apple country are relatively flat. This season’s crop should be very good one, barring any additional late season frost or freeze conditions.
Henderson County is ranked No. 7 in the U.S in apple production. The county produces over 85 percent of the apples grown in North Carolina. The Henderson County seal highlights the importance of our local industry for more than a hundred years.
April 15 is the average full bloom date for the county. This spring’ss development is more normal even though we have had some extreme low temperatures this winter.
For apple growers, this is a very good thing. It should mean a successful year for growers throughout the county, who produce an annual crop valued at over $31 million grown on over 5,600 acres. The longer trees stay dormant, the less chance of frost or freeze injury to the flowers and fruit. A hard late frost can kill the extra-sensitive flower tissue. Rain or high wind during bloom can keep honeybees from doing their pollination work. Thankfully, the cluster of five blossoms emerging over several days can ensure a harvest in most years. The trees have adequate moisture and with warmer nights, days and soil temperatures the blooms will really take off. It looks like there will be an adequate flower bloom this season that should be spectacular.

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