New Jersey peach crop coming on in early July
New Jersey peaches should be available in good volume from early July until mid-September, according to the New Jersey Peach Promotion Council.
“Our season usually begins with the yellow-fleshed variety Sentry around July 4, with a sprinkling of very early white- and yellow-fleshed peaches,” Bonnie Lundblad, chair of the council, said in a news release. “Our final shipments are around Sept. 15, with the heaviest volume concluding around Labor Day.”
Late-season varieties include encore, autumn glo, flame prince and the new variety tiana, she said in the release. Promotions are targeted to consumers in New Jersey, New England and the mid-Atlantic region from mid-July through Labor Day.
Matt Duffield, NJPPC director and operator of Duffield Farms in Sewell, Gloucester County, reported a variable crop of peaches in the farm’s plantings, according to the release. The operation grows both white- and yellow-fleshed peaches and nectarines.
“Our customers want a variety of fruit types, which integrate with the extensive list of other produce items,” he said in the release. “We grow only tree-ripened fruit and sell locally at our own farm market and community farmers markets in southern New Jersey.”
Joe Nichols, owner of Nichols Orchards, in Franklin Township on the southern end of Gloucester County, reported a lighter than normal crop of peaches and nectarines, citing some spring low-temperature injury.
“Our crop varies from variety to variety, and the location of the block to wind machines, which ran a few times this spring,” Nichols said in the release. “The wind machines and other bloom-delay techniques were worth the great expense in increasing our production. We expect to have peaches and nectarines to wholesale throughout the summer. Since we sell tree-ripened fruit, we expect strong demand.”
John Maccherone, an owner of Circle M Farms in Salem County, N.J., said the operation expects a full crop of peaches and nectarines this season. “We have many varieties of white- and yellow-fleshed peaches and nectarines, most of which are being thinned for improved fruit size and quality,“ Maccherone said in the release. “We expect a much better season with good demand compared to 2021 when the pandemic hampered our marketing program.”
