Cheers To Cherry Season

Green Bluff may be more famous for its snappy apples, but the area’s farmers grow some sweet cherries, too.

The growing conditions in this little microclimate north of Spokane are actually ideal for all sorts of crops, including berries, peaches and apricots.

Cherry trees thrive in the sandy loam soil, and the slightly higher elevation offers protection from early spring frosts that settle in the valleys, said George Coniff, 84, who helps out on his daughter’s U-Pick place called Hidden Acres.

“It looks like a good crop this year,” said Coniff.

When it comes to producing cherries, warm weather is good news.

If cold temperatures strike after the tree has blossomed in early spring, the delicate flower is often damaged.

“If it drops to 28 degrees, you lose the pistil, and the bloom can’t be pollinated,” Coniff said.

Without pollination, fruit won’t grow.

The other reason growers hold their breath when they listen to weather reports is that it needs to be warm enough to encourage those bumblebees to do their business.

“A bee will only fly if it’s 55 degrees or higher, and there are only about three days when pollination can take place,” Coniff said. “Last year, it was a disaster.”

Orchardists typically bring in hives and leave them among the trees. Some growers spray their trees with a scent meant to attract bees.

After pollination takes place, it’s a matter of watching for diseases.

“Like all stone fruits, cherry trees are susceptible to fungus,” Coniff said.

The cherries on Green Bluff typically ripen in mid- to late July, depending on the weather. That’s a month behind the huge crops that come in from the Yakima Valley and the Wenatchee area.

But Coniff said it’s worth the wait.

“I think we have some of the best cherries in the state,” he said.

Besides, Coniff is used to being patient. After planting a cherry tree, it takes at least five years before cherries can be harvested. (There are some new varieties being developed that will cut down on that long initial start-up.)

The trees might take time to become productive, but once they start, cherry trees can have long lives.

“With proper care, cherry trees grow to be 25 or 30 years old,” Coniff said.

And an average tree can produce hundreds of pounds each year.

After all the cherries are plucked and before winter arrives, growers typically will give their trees a boost by fertilizing them.

“That’s always a good idea, but I never seem to have the time to get around to it,” Coniff chuckled.

This sidebar appeared with the story: GREEN BLUFF CHERRIES

To check out cherries at the source, head up to Green Bluff. The following is a list from the Green Bluff Grower’s Association. Call for hours and directions.

Huckaba Orchards, 238-2967

Smith’s Hilltop Orchards, 238-4647

Siemer’s Pic and Pac, 238-6242

Edberg’s, 238-4271

Walter’s Fruit Ranch, 238-4709

Hidden Acres, 238-2830

Harvest House and Orchard, 238-6970

Yaryan’s Orchards, 238-6261

Welland’s Luscious Fruit, 238-6978

Thorsen’s Country Farm, 238-6438

McGlade’s Treemendous Fruit, 467-8340

Green Bluff High Country Orchards, 238-4963

Wicklund’s Apple Lane, 238-4294

Hansen’s Orchard, 238-4902

Ol’ Cider Press Farm, 238-2670

Cider Creek Farm, 238-2983

Carmichael’s Green Bluff Orchard, 238-4128