Summer
From the blossom period to the Earliest Harvest period, usually around mid-June, cherries go through their normal growing process. During this time, we at Northern Cherries Inc keep monitoring the cherries for any insects or disease, and follow the normal spray schedule for cherries.
Because the Okanagan has a semi-arid climate, irrigation is important to keep trees healthy. Nutrient sprays are applied for cherry growth and quality. The weather is closely monitored because rain can affect our irrigation and spray schedule.
When cherries are at the harvest stage, excessive rain can damage the skin of the cherry as it absorbs water. If our growing region is experiencing inclement weather with strong rain, we use helicopters to blow water off the crops to keep the fruit dry. We also use blowers on tractors to dry off the rain water from the cherries.
We also regularly measure sugar content in our cherries as we approach harvest times, in order to pick our cherries at their peak time.
Cherries are picked and packed on the same day so that our produce retains best quality when packed in boxes, ready for our customers.
Summer pruning is also very important after the harvest so that the trees are exposed to maximum sunlight.
