Spending his whole life growing fruit in Nelson County, Paul Saunders has learned a little about gambling.
“You do not have to go to Las Vegas to gamble. Just be in the peach business,” he said.
For the second year in a row now, the luck of Saunders and other peach farmers has improved. A lack of frost and hail, plenty of early rain and hot weather is helping the peaches grow large, ripen early and taste sweet.
“We feel like it will be a good crop,” said Saunders, of Saunders Brothers Orchard in Piney River. “Now, whether it’s a whopper, that remains to be seen.”
Other peach growers in the Lynchburg region and across the state agree with Saunders’ prediction of a good crop this year. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services surveyed growers this month and found that most were seeing the crop develop about a week ahead of schedule, according to a news release.
If the predictions hold true, 2010 would yield the second great peach crop in a row. Last year, growers saw the crop improve as a drought several years long came to a close.
Ronnie Gross, part owner of Gross’ Orchard in Bedford County, said the crop took a toll in the years without much rain. “Two to three years ago, we had quite a substantial tree loss due to drought,” he said. “The trees became so drought-stricken that they began to suffer.”
Last year and this year, the trees have been doing much better. Gross’ Orchard started picking peaches June 12, about one week earlier than usual.
Scott Barnes, owner of Morris Orchard in Monroe, said several aspects of the weather have worked out well.
“We haven’t had a frost, and we haven’t had any hail storms. We’ve had good rains earlier in the summer,” he said. “It’s going to be a real good year for big peaches this year. They’ll all be big.”
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