Peach harvest is underway in Central Texas. "We're going to have a pretty good retail crop this year. We don't have our full crop but for retail markets, we should have pretty good supply this summer," says Jamey Vogel of Vogel Orchard in Fredericksburg, Texas, adding that supply should last through mid-August.
The season is starting a few days later than normal because of some late cold in February that set things back, though not drastically. "Though for the fourth year in a row, we're dealing with some marginal chilling hours that have affected some of the varieties, particularly some of the mid to late-season varieties," Vogel says. All varieties have fruit, though some are on the weaker side. "We also had some freeze damage on a few of our early varieties but it's not a complete wipeout."
Better 2025 crop
Overall though the crop looks better this year than last given there's more consistent supply expected throughout the 2025 season. Even with a dry winter, recent moisture in the growing region has helped the quality of the peaches.
Demand is expected to be very good. "Our market is primarily retail here in Texas and we have a very large customer base here and people are always very excited about Texas peaches," says Vogel. "They're passionate about them."
Meanwhile, pricing is expected to be similar to last year, even with higher costs on growing inputs this year.
For more information:
Jamey Vogel
Vogel Orchard
Tel: +1 (830) 644-2404
[email protected]
www.vogelorchard.com