A successful August in terms of rainfall and cold accumulation has Cape fruit producers in high spirits for the season ahead. “We’re very excited, it looks very promising,” says De Kock Hamman, technical advisor at Ceres Fruit Growers.Two heavy snowfalls were exactly what fruit farmers were hoping for. Last week still the snow was knee-deep in the Koue Bokkeveld, and long term weather watchers noted that the end of August felt like mid-July weather. The long term rainfall average for the month of 91mm was reached and even better – the maximum and minimum temperatures were 1.5°C lower than the long term average.
This past August there was a nearly 10% increase in Western Cape dam levels, 4% just in the past week. The Berg River Dam is close to 100%, 40% fuller than this time last year, while the Theewaterskloof is still at 49% (compared to 26% last August). In the Koue Bokkeveld many dams are 80% or fuller, at a level where they were last three years ago, although here and there some farms are still short of water.
The early part of the winter wasn't as cold as fruit producers would like. At the end of June, the winter was, in fact, warmer than the previous couple of winters.
The first of September is Spring Day in South Africa and in the Western Cape the weather is warming up. Early varieties like Forelle, Bon Chretiens, Panorama Goldens as well as some stonefruit orchards are starting to come into bloom.
Damage from the previous years’ drought could become evident, but the flowering looks normal – initially it was expected that the season could be two weeks early but then another cold spell arrived. What does raise concern in some areas are salts that accumulate because it hasn't been flushed from the soil.
The winter has lifted a weight off the shoulders of fruit producers, emerging from a difficult season.