Fruit growers imagine themselves in a casino: ‘A gamble every season’ | 1Limburg

He even has a thermometer hanging from one of the cherry trees. Fruit grower Jo Schaepkens from Klimmen keeps a close eye on the weather forecast: “The flowering period can make or break the year.”

He looked at the frost from earlier this week with dismay. The mercury rose to -6 degrees at night, something fruit growers absolutely do not want to see at this time of the year. “There is certainly already frost damage, you can see it by the buds when they are black. But luckily a lot is still green, so the season is certainly not lost yet. But not much more needs to be done,” says Schaepkens, who with his company in Klimmen is completely dependent on the cherries.

It’s never good
One tree should actually yield five kilograms of cherries. Harvest will take place in June and then it will have to be seen whether that number will be achieved, although doubts are now setting in again in the spring. “But it’s never ideal for us. Frost, hail, long drought, but also heat are all not perfect. Actually, it’s never good,” jokes the cherry grower, who knows how the hares run after 25 years.

Two years ago, more than half of his crop was lost when it was -8 degrees for two days during the same period. “We have already protected part of the harvest by covering it, but that doesn’t help anymore. And buying heaters is too big an investment that can never pay for itself due to the higher energy prices.”

apple farmer
A little further on, just in Valkenburg, is apple grower Wiel Brouwers, who after all these years also knows that fruit growing is a gamble every season. “But then we should have chosen another profession.” Since he will not be picking his Elstar apples until September, the recent frost has not been a disaster. “But the coming weeks will be crucial, luckily it will get warmer, although that is no guarantee either. Ice saints are yet to come”, with which Brouwers refers to the period in mid-May when, according to experts, frost is still possible.

Spreading Opportunities
Nevertheless, the fruit grower has spread his chances in recent years and he no longer gambles on one horse. In addition to his fruit trees, Brouwers has also set up a campsite, with which he also earns income from tourism. “Certainly a welcome addition during the Amstel Gold Race weekend, we are completely full. So if the apple harvest fails, money will still come in.”

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