Orchardists and wine producers in the Okanagan Valley are anxiously watching the weather.
It was one year ago this week that crops were devastated by a sudden severe cold snap. Environment Canada says it hit -30 C in Kelowna and a record of -27.6 C in Penticton on Jan. 13, 2024.
No extreme cold in the forecast
This year, things are looking better.
“Everything looks fine. Everything looks great. It has been a very mild winter. It was worrisome because it was forecasted to be a La Niña winter, which can be nasty, but it’s been good,” said Michael Bartier with Bartier Family Vineyards in Oliver.
“The 30-day forecasts that I’m looking at right now show us nothing of any concern,” he adds.
Last winter, one of the big problems was that it was so warm that buds were starting to sprout, and then the mercury plummeted. Cherry growers had to choose whether it was worth it to harvest the slim crop they did get and there were very few local peaches, apricots or plums to find right down the valley.
Trees need to stay dormant until mid-February
This winter, orchardist Alan Gatzke in Lake Country says his trees seem to have gone into dormancy.
“The tree’s ability to survive a very cold winter varies with their level of dormancy. They can handle -25 C if it slowly goes down and they go to sleep well and then it slowly rises in the spring. That’s how things naturally happen,” explained Gatzke.
He is a bit concerned about some of the information he’s getting from further south in the valley, in the Oliver and Osoyoos areas.
“I’m hearing that the buds are beginning to move. I find that a little scary but with cooler temperatures in the next week or so, hopefully, the trees will go back to sleep and won’t wake up until the middle of February.”
Adapting to new reality
Lessons have been learned from the extreme weather of recent years. Some orchardists are putting in more vegetables and ground crops to stay diversified.
“Last year was challenging, but with the addition of our you-pick flower area, pick-your-own pumpkins and our educational farm tour we had a busy season,” said Jennay Oliver of Paynter’s Fruit Market in West Kelowna.
“We are still focusing half of our farming land this year on ground crops like melons, tomatoes, cucumber and other vegetables to ensure even if we have a hard winter, we will still have local produce for our customers.”
Wineries are also adapting.
“One of the measures that we’re taking is that we’re taking the canes from a vine and we’re burying them. And that buried cane can effectively become a new trunk if we lose the vine,” said Bartier.
The weather forecast calls for overnight lows near -8 C by the end of this week. Further down the road, the 14 day forecast predicts temperatures no colder than -6 C as the end of January approaches. Fingers are crossed that those predictions come to pass.
