Marlborough's cherry season has started a week earlier than commercial growers expected, prompting requests for consumers to buy fruit early. Growers report that despite rain during key harvest periods, crop volumes are tracking from average to good.
Cherryland's Nicola Whyte said, "Whether pre-picked or pick-your-own, both fruit demand and harvest are looking great, with good sunshine hours putting flavour in the fruit." She noted that demand increases ahead of Christmas, but the early start means cherries are unlikely to be available after the holiday.
Cherries have a 60 to 70 day growing season, creating an intensive harvest window. Caythorpe's Simon Bishell said the business faced challenges handling this year's crop as a new orchard using a vertical growing technique came into production. "It's a busy, exciting, and stressful time all compressed into a few weeks. We need to pick the cherries when they're ripe and delicate for their varietal, with sugar levels around 17 to 18%, because unlike bananas or avocados, they stop ripening once picked," he said. Rain forecasts influence harvest scheduling. "There will be a rush as always leading up to Christmas, and this year's early maturation means supplies run out sooner – I wouldn't be looking for them on Christmas Eve."
Bishell said multiple varieties on the property help spread labour requirements and reduce exposure to poor fruit set caused by spring weather. The vertical system requires higher establishment costs but lowers labour demand and supports faster harvesting.
At Cherrybank Orchard, Blair McLean described the crop as "pretty normal." He said varietal performance varied depending on the weather during mid-season growth. Even later maturing varieties, such as Lapins, were beginning to pick earlier than usual, and he advised early purchasing.
Growers reported that unseasonal rain created potential for fruit splitting, but losses were limited. Mitigation tools ranged from rain covers in newer blocks to helicopter downdraft drying, where covers were not installed. "Having nine helicopter passes over three weeks to dry just halfway through the harvest season is not ideal, but it's a worthwhile investment using that downdraft to push moisture off the top of the cherry, or else it's the whole harvest at risk," McLean said.
With demand already steady and the short season compressing picking, packing, and sales into a narrow window, growers expect operations to remain busy until shortly before Christmas. They noted the importance of stable warm conditions in the remaining weeks to optimise final fruit quality.
Source: Marlborough App
