SOUTHAMPTON, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – With the lack of rain this summer, many are wondering how this might impact apple crops this fall.
“All the trees are looking for water and would love to see some rain,” said Tom Bashista with Bashita Orchards in Southampton.
Western Mass News stopped by Bashita Orchards to find out how drought conditions this summer are affecting apple trees.
“With deficiency with water, some of them are being stressed. This tree behind me is in good shape, but we happen to be on a wet spot on the property…Typically, you have a lot more fruit on it. Apples usually pushing each other off with a full crop,” Bashista explained.
However, he told us less water can be a positive.
“Drought conditions will have less water in your fruit. I mean, it affects your size, so your size is a little smaller, but your flavors tend to be more intense,” Bashista noted.
As for other fruits in the orchard, Bashista added, “The peaches are a little smaller, but again, the flavor is really good due to the deficiency in water.”
Bashista said his orchard has been passed down for generations and his great grandfather’s irrigation system seems to be working just fine.
“I don’t do trellis trees, so they don’t require a drip irrigation. They are all free-standing, so they tend to be a little more self-sufficient…We have got a 100 new trees, a few different varieties gathered throughout the orchard to replace other trees up to 80 years old, some older that had to be replaced and because we don’t have irrigation, we basically have to use a bucket bigrade to give those trees a chance to get through this summer,” Bashista said.
Despite the extremely dry conditions, this orchard expects apple crops to be ready for harvest on time this fall.
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