Finger limes from California will likely start harvest in the first week of June. "We're so close. Especially the ranch over in Visalia is getting a ton of heat," says Megan Shanley Warren of Shanley Farms. "The growing season has been great this year. There's been lots of warm weather when the blooms were coming on and the trees are really heavy. This growing season looks better than last because last year we had cloudy conditions and no sun for months and the trees really showed it."
She says this year's crop is looking good and that it will begin with its bright green Emerald variety of finger limes, which will be followed by its second variety, Champagne finger limes. Overall the crop looks similar to 2024's finger lime crop and will peak in supply between July and October, though Shanley Farms ships into December with holiday orders though not at heavy volume.
Concerns around voles
What is challenging the crop as a first is the state's vole population. "They have come along and stripped about 50 trees and that cuts the nutrients that run up and down the tree," says Shanley Warren, adding that to manage the situation, it's intensified its focus on weed management and wrapping trees with wire fencing to keep the voles at bay. "We'd heard about it from some growers in the valley but then it's happening here in Morro Bay as well."
As for demand? "We are hearing so much off-season demand that I hadn't experienced in the past. I always get off-season demand because people can't get it, so they get antsy and we start getting calls. This year though it's way more than it has been in the past," says Shanley Warren, adding that pricing will likely be similar to last year and stay steady.
For more information:
Megan Shanley Warren
Shanley Farms
Tel: +1 (805) 234-7862
[email protected]
https://www.shanleyfarms.com/