Did Georgia peaches survive late winter cold snap?

It’s a little too early to tell the extent of damage done to crops after some of the coldest temperatures of winter reached Middle Georgia the past two nights.

“It usually takes a day or two or three to really get a feel for how much freeze damage is on a crop, whether it’s peaches, vegetables or blueberries,” said Charles Hall, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. “I was looking at maps this morning and within a few miles of fields it was showing 26 at one location and another weather station five or six miles away from it was showing 31. That much of a degree difference could have an effect.”

The elevation where the crops are grown, and how long the temperature stayed below freezing might also make a difference, he said.

“It may be warmer at lower levels or higher levels depending on how the wind was flowing,” Hall said.

Peach season in the Peach State usually runs from May to early August. During that time, the state’s 10,000 acres of peach trees yield 3,000,000 boxes of fruit annually, which places Georgia in the top-three peach-producing states in the nation, according to a statement from the Georgia Peach Council.

So far, damage to those peach crops is unknown. Damaged and healthy buds are being found on the same trees. As the cold weather gives way to spring-like conditions, the council will continue to evaluate the crop, according to the statement.

“As it is right now, it’s really hard to tell. Middle Georgia got cold. That said, frost was minimal and the winds swept softly all night. Those are both good things,” said Duke Lane III, Georgia Peach Council president and a fifth-generation peach grower. “As the sunshine and temperatures warm up, we will have a better idea of what made it and how the crop will shake out.”

Jeff Cook, a University of Georgia County Extension agent for Peach and Taylor counties, has visited multiple fields in Peach County after two days of subfreezing temperatures.

He said he found some damage on plants that bore peaches and others that were about to bloom.

As the weather warms up later in the week, it will be easier to tell how much damage the frost caused, Cook said.

“There’s a chance of frost (Friday),” he said. “Then it’s going to warm up. Once it warms up, all the blooms and buds will get back to growing again. The ones that are dead you’ll be able to tell a lot easier.”

Elliott Farms in Lizella, a popular berry picking spot, has closed until Friday because of the March cold snap.

The farm’s five acres of strawberries are under sheets to protect the fruit from the frost. Debra Elliott, co-owner of the farm, said the strawberries were covered well before the cold.

People were on the grounds picking a small crop last Friday and Saturday. They covered the strawberries back up Monday.

Elliott said the farm can’t uncover the strawberries until the temperature rises above 38 degrees.

Usually, they don’t start picking until the first of April, she said.

“I know it’s kind of confusing when this has never happened before. We had people drive up. We said ‘We are covered up,’” Elliott said. “They didn’t have a clue. They knew by somebody else that we had opened.”

This story was originally published March 16, 2017 at 3:50 PM with the headline "Did Georgia peaches survive late winter cold snap?."