YAKIMA, WA - Bloom finally hit Washington last month, and the belated blossoms have been greeted with cheer by Domex Superfresh Growers. The company released the latest edition of its series of Orchard Update videos this week, highlighting April’s flowering conditions and the company’s plans for orchard expansion.
“In eastern Washington, things are finally starting to grow,” said Dave Gleason, Chief Horticulturist, in the April Orchard Update video. “There’s a lot of bloom…There’s a lot of things growing right now, and at Superfresh Growers we’re growing in many ways.”
With the ground thawed and trees abloom, the company’s orchard team is busy planning and prepping a new 150-acre block to be the future site of red Honeycrisp, Cosmic Crisp apples, and other high flavor and high color varieties, noted a Superfresh Growers blog post.
“We’re in the middle of a big project. There’s 150 acres here. And this year, we’re doing this in stages, so the first part is to develop the support structure,” Dave continued, noting that the orchard is being designed to be amenable to the latest advances in harvesting technology. The new high-desnity orchard is designed to remove the necessity of ladders, instead using a series of platforms to increase efficiency and save on labor.
“If our tree design is narrow enough, our employees can stand on the platforms and reach into the trees, reaching all sides of the tree just from one side,” explained Dave. “The platform can then roll through every other row, creating 50% labor savings and efficiency. We are looking at all possibilities to create the most efficient and labor friendly orchard.”
Superfresh Growers noted that Spring conditions are roughly ten days behind a typical year, and as such, the company expects cherry season to begin around June 12. The company predicts a plentiful supply of apricots and cherries, and notes that, because of the late start, cherry harvest should continue well into late-summer.
For more, check out the video above or read the whole update here.
