Citrus country, that’s what Lake County and the state of Florida is known for. Mary Graham has lived on her farm for decades, but it’s been in her husband’s family for over a century. What used to be a commercial farm, is now a destination for folks looking to pick their own fruits and veggies.

“The u-pick citrus trees has been very popular with people," said Graham. 

But this last weekend was a cold one. Freezing temperature aren’t good for citrus. Thankfully the Graham Family is no stranger to the cold and protected the crop.

“We did fine. We didn’t worry about the cold weather here in the orange groves. Most of our oranges have been harvested already,” said Graham. 

The Graham family doesn’t just grow citrus, they also grow peaches. But this year has been different.

“This peach tree bloomed considerably earlier than it’s suppose to,“ said Graham. 

Mary told Spectrum News peaches in Florida usually bloom in January to February. However, due to the previous warmer months her trees bloomed earlier.

While some peaches didn’t survive the cold, others were just small enough to carry enough moisture and continue blooming. But winter isn’t finished quite yet, the season will tell on what people can pick come next harvest season.

Mary Graham said many types of peach trees aren’t successful in our region due to the climate. She said if you have a peach tree it should look dormant.

Source - https://www.mynews13.com