The cherry harvest at McIntyre Fruit, in Perthshire, is still a couple of months away, and according to owner Matthew McIntyre, the fruit is looking good.
"So far, the crop is looking very good. We had good warmth and light levels in April and May, and then the rain came at just the right time to replenish the rivers. It is a complete contrast to last year. As we get closer to the middle of summer, that is when the Scottish fruit really excels, due to our extremely long days. We have so much light that photosynthesis can continue to take place for many hours each day."
The cherry set is good, Matt said they will have to hand thin some of the varieties as they are a bit heavy. "This is the first year that we will have a full crop from all of the cherry trees, and the younger trees will have a full crop for the first time. We are hoping to have good volumes.
"We expect to start the harvest mid-August, which is around a week earlier than normal. Earlier in the season, we thought we might be two weeks early, but it has fallen back a week. The good news is that all of the regions in the UK seem to be well timed and there won't be any big overlaps on production."
For more information:
Matthew McIntyre
McIntyre Fruit Ltd
Tel: +44(0)7713106784
[email protected]
www.mcintyrefruit.co.uk