These cold snaps and ice storms we've seen have made quite a mess in Central Texas the past few weeks. But not everyone is praying for warmer weather. When you learn why, you may welcome the cold weather too.
"We haven't had a good crop here since 2010," said Farmer Jamey Vogel. But he thinks this year will be different. "We're in good shape right now," he says. Last year was bad. "Out of 6,000 trees I picked a total of 130 boxes. That was because it was too cold, too late in the season," Vogel says. Right now though, he says the cold is welcome, "Cold, wet weather is better because the peaches are still dormant and they need a certain point of cold weather to break the dormancy so this is a good thing." But Vogel contends at one point there could be too much of a good thing. "In a few weeks we'll start to see buds swell on these trees and we'll see blooms popping out and once that happens we can see cold damage," he says.
Until then the cold has Vogel optimistic about his crop. It's probably the only reason he likes the cold. "I'm kind a tired of winter!" he says. Vogel says the only slight risk right now is if those warm ups we occasionally get last too long. That could cause early blooms and then of course, damage when it cools back down. So if you like Texas peaches find a way to enjoy the cold -- at least for now.
Source - http://www.keyetv.com/
