Jennifer Galloway and her granddaughter Rylie Newman, 7, pick peaches at Gregg Farms.
Rains bring plenty of produce
A cool, exceptionally wet spring resulted in hearty summer crops of tomatoes, peaches, blueberries, blackberries, watermelons, sweet corn and other fruits and vegetables.
Gregg Farms in Hollonville has bountiful blueberries, plump peaches and huge blackberries as well as acres and acres of peaches and other fresh produce. The deluge of rain has helped - and in some ways hindered - the farm’s production of corn, peas, blackberries, blueberries and peaches.
“Just like everything else, too much of anything is a bad thing. The rain has made the fruit bigger but we could use more sunshine. We could go another three weeks without rain if we had to,” said Brad Gregg. “Having to pick in between the rain showers is a little difficult. The water has been good for the corn and the peas but it’s been a little hard on the tomatoes. It made a lot of the blueberries split but it’s made them really juicy. The rain also made the season shorter for blackberries and blueberries.”
Gregg said the spring season was so cool, the crops are about 4 or 5 days behind where they usually are at this time of year. The family-run farm is open each Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
SunRay Farm on Piedmont Road between Meansville and Barnesville has bushes filled to tops with blueberries.
More than 65 million pounds of Georgia blueberries were produced in 2011, and the crop’s farm gate value was more than $254 million. The popular fruit comprised almost 40 percent of Georgia’s fruit and nut industry.
PIke County rainfall doubles since 2012
From Jan. 1 to July 14, 2013, 44.4 inches of rain was recorded at the University of Georgia weather networks Williamson station. Last year for the same time period, 22.19 inches were reported by the station.
This year there were 79 rainy days through July 14; last year, 61 days when it rained.
As found in other area weather stations, 2012 was the year of lowest rainfall of the last four at Williamson. For the first six-plus months of 2011, 22.7 inches fell with 62 rainy days; in 2010, 26.06 inches with 63 rainy days.
The yearly average for the January-July period from 1961 to 1990 was 30.17 inches. From 1971 to 2001, the average was 29.38 inches of rain.
“Just like everything else, too much of anything is a bad thing. The rain has made the fruit bigger but we could use more sunshine. We could go another three weeks without rain if we had to,” said Brad Gregg. “Having to pick in between the rain showers is a little difficult. The water has been good for the corn and the peas but it’s been a little hard on the tomatoes. It made a lot of the blueberries split but it’s made them really juicy. The rain also made the season shorter for blackberries and blueberries.”
Gregg said the spring season was so cool, the crops are about 4 or 5 days behind where they usually are at this time of year. The family-run farm is open each Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
SunRay Farm on Piedmont Road between Meansville and Barnesville has bushes filled to tops with blueberries.
More than 65 million pounds of Georgia blueberries were produced in 2011, and the crop’s farm gate value was more than $254 million. The popular fruit comprised almost 40 percent of Georgia’s fruit and nut industry.
PIke County rainfall doubles since 2012
From Jan. 1 to July 14, 2013, 44.4 inches of rain was recorded at the University of Georgia weather networks Williamson station. Last year for the same time period, 22.19 inches were reported by the station.
This year there were 79 rainy days through July 14; last year, 61 days when it rained.
As found in other area weather stations, 2012 was the year of lowest rainfall of the last four at Williamson. For the first six-plus months of 2011, 22.7 inches fell with 62 rainy days; in 2010, 26.06 inches with 63 rainy days.
The yearly average for the January-July period from 1961 to 1990 was 30.17 inches. From 1971 to 2001, the average was 29.38 inches of rain.
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