Nice weather heats things up in Niagara Orchards

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Warmer temperatures these days mean things are starting to heat up in the orchards and vineyards across the Niagara Peninsula. As Lauran Sabourin found out today, if the beautiful weather sticks around, we could see blossoms by mother’s day.

They’re planting nearly six thousand peach saplings in the Tregunno Orchard in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Fifteen hundred are being planted each day.

“Peach trees, they last around 15 years – so you’re always re-planting peach trees. We’re planting different varieties that are better, have higher colour and sugar content” says Phil Tregunno. There are nearly two million tender fruit trees in Niagara – and seventeen thousand acres of grapes. The farm workers are out pruning trees, and tying grapes and cultivating fields. With these sunny skies and double digit temperatures growers are counting on seeing blossoms in a few weeks.
Just a couple of months ago, the trees and vines were trying to survive the frigid winter. “It was a very tough winter. This is the second year in a row we’ve had tough winter. We expect to have some damage out there.”

They’re anticipating some damage in the grape vines, but with this weather, growers are expecting a full crop from the trees.