Cassidy Quigley, left, and Jean MacDonald, employees at Arlington Orchards’ fruit and vegetable stand on North River Road in Charlottetown, say the stand is a one-stop shopping dream. Arlington Orchards is opening its u-pick earlier this year because of the heat this summer. This season is the earliest the u-pick has opened. Dave Stewart Photo by Dave Stewart /The GuardianArticle contentFor the first time, Arlington Orchards in western P.E.I. will open its u-pick apple operation in August. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentDue to the heat Prince Edward Island has had this summer, that is the earliest the u-pick has opened. Article contentArticle contentBarry Balsom, who co-owns the operation with his wife, Carol, tells The Guardian that the orchards, which first opened in 1993, will open Aug. 30, at least a week earlier than before. Article contentArticle content“This year, we have a lot of early apples whereas we didn’t last year,” Balsom said in a telephone interview on Aug. 27. “We’re not in as bad of shape as some orchards are in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. All of our Empire and Spartan varieties sized up really well.” Article contentSome of the orchards The Guardian spoke to have been forced to turn to irrigation this summer for the first time due to the intense heat. Article contentBalsom also has a weather station on his farm and measures the temperatures. He said two years ago he measured a temperature of 36.5 C while two weeks ago the thermometer hit 38 C followed by 39.3 C the next day. Article content“We’ve never seen that. We’re actually in pretty good shape (though). Would I turn down any water right now? Absolutely not but so far, they are sizing. They are big and that’s good.” Article content Barry Balsom, who owns Arlington Orchards in Tyne Valley, will be opening his U-Pick operation this weekend. The hot weather this summer has meant the apples are earlier this year. Photo by Carol Balsom /Special to The GuardianArticle contentWintermoorArticle contentMark Ashley, who runs the Wintermoor Orchard in York, P.E.I., said he is planning on opening his u-pick operation on Sept. 5, which is early. Article contentArticle content“We’re getting a lot of drop,” Ashley said, referring to apples falling off trees, “but, I think that is heat stress. There is one variety of apple that is dead ripe, so we wanted to get open a week early.” Article contentArticle contentAshley said his farm normally opens on Sept. 10 but is getting an early jump because apples are starting to drop and he prefers people not pick apples from the ground due to food safety reasons. Article contentApples that fall off trees are not discarded. That fruit is turned into cider, which the farm also sells. Article contentAshley said his farm went 90 days “with not one drop of rain and high heat”. Article contentHe said the Empires and Spartans are normally a smaller apple and will be ready although those varieties could use some rain. Article content“We’re a glass half full right now,” Ashley said. Article contentArticle contentStay informed: Don’t miss the news you need to know. Sign up for our newsletter today.Article contentArticle contentAshley said irrigation is not possible at Wintermoor.
Hot summer results in P.E.I. apple orchards opening early
