Stemilt's Capstone orchard set to expand volume of newer apple varieties
MATTAWA, Wash., - Stemilt Growers is expanding acreage of new apple varieties at its modern Capstone Orchard in Mattawa.
Capstone is Stemilt's newest planting endeavor and brings a lot of newer apple varieties into production over the next few years, according to Brianna Shales, communications manager for Wenatchee-based Stemilt.
Stemilt's orchard features the vertical trellis growing system. The company began planting trees in 2014 and will add acreage until 2019. Varieties in the ground include cripps pink (branded as Pink Lady),
honeycrisp, modern gala strains and new club varieties, said Robin Graham, assistant Columbia Basin area manager for Stemilt.
"This is the orchard of the future at Stemilt and we are excited to have them come online," Shales said July 28.
Capstone currently has about 600 acres of newer apple varieties and will eventually have close to 1,200 acres, Graham said.
Generally, Shales said Washington apple growers expect early harvest this season, with good fruit color and sizes slightly larger than a year ago.
"We will still have plenty of size ranges to fit our Lil Snappers kid-sized fruit bags," she said.
Graham said that the consistency of maturity through the tree is very even, which should allow growers to deliver better quality apples to the warehouse through the harvest season.
With harvest of early varieties already starting in some regions by mid-August, Washington grower-shippers expect a strong quality apple crop this season, with good fruit sizes and outstanding color. A recent industry estimate, by the Yakima-based Washington State Tree Fruit Association, puts the fresh crop at about 133 million boxes, second only to the 2014 crop.
