Rosehill Farm in Angus, Scotland, did the first cherry pick of the season yesterday.
"This is a trial pick, but we will start about ten days earlier than last year," said Stead Nicolle, who owns the farm. "The crop is looking great following some great spring weather. This is in complete contrast to last year."
© Rosehill Farm
Stead grows cherries on three acres using a high-density upright fruiting offshoot (UFO) system. He grows many trial varieties on site; everything is grown in greenhouses.
"We have a wide spread of varieties and will start with the Merchant variety. We have trees that are more than ten years old, and they are still producing very good volumes. We keep on top of our tree management. In the winter, we do substantial pruning, which helps pollination and gives bigger, well-spaced cherries."
Rosehill Farm sells all its cherries locally. "People get very excited for the new season cherries, they are always good quality and have not travelled far. We pick them into buckets, then they are taken to the pack shed and cooled with the hydro chiller before being packed into punnets."
For more information:
Stead Nicolle
Rosehill Farm
[email protected]
