CRAWFORD COUNTY, Ga. — For peach farmers, the time between October and February could affect an entire crop because of chill hours.
'Chill hours' are the amount of time that peach trees need to produce a good crop.
Robert Dickey, co-owner of Dickey Farms, says he's always optimistic.
"We like to have a lot, around 900 hours, maybe even 1,000 some years. Right now, we're only at about 750," he said.
Dickey Farms has about 1,000 acres of peach trees and 18 varieties of peaches. Dickey says some require more cold mornings than others.
"Hopefully we get a little more cold for those high-chilling varieties to make sure they have a good bloom, so we'll start seeing some blooms in some weeks on some varieties," he said.
He says what could get in the way is the weather.
"We've had way too much rain right now, the ground is saturated and wet, so we hope we can have some days of dry to get some new orchards planted and some grass mowed," Dickey said.
Dickey says part of being a farmer is accepting the unpredictable and keeping an eye on the long term weather.
"The most important thing the next few months is no freeze or frost in March. We just need some pretty sunshine, and mild days," he said.
Dickey says after a successful harvest last year, he's excited to see what will happen this year.
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