After the Rain in California

A parade of storms allowed California to recover from a historic drought, although the cooler and wetter spring has delayed crops and important cultural practices.

Third generation grower Jeff Colombini in San Juaquin County is among those impacted. His cherry harvest is 2 ½ weeks later than last year, due to the dramatic weather shift. In addition, ill-timed rain can cause the fruit to swell and crack, making the cherries unmarketable.

Colombini remains calm through the ups and downs of cherry growing, saying he focuses on what he can control, and tries not to worry about the variables that are out of his hands.

He says he wants to understand everything he can about his crops, to have the best chance of productivity and profitability now and into the future.

“It all starts with soil health,” he said. “…To get health soil microbes, you need good organic matter. Quite frankly, any plant cannot take nutrients into its roots without soil microbes. We’re big believers in cover cropping and compost use, to increase organic matter to feed the soil microbes. When you have soil right, then you can get everything else right. If you don’t have a good, healthy soil, it’s like building a house without a good foundation."

California is second to Washington in cherry production. Cherries from the Golden State are even enjoyed overseas, with customers in Japan, China, South Korea, Canada, and India.