The 2018 cherry season is expected to proceed as usual following the recent cold snap.
Growers said cherry buds can handle the cold. And they say deep snow actually insulates roots and can keep the trees in better shape.
John King is the co-owner at Kind Orchards.
“We haven’t got to temperatures that I don’t think are damaging to buds, right now they’re dormant and can handle quite a bit and so I think our lowest temperature I’d seen was minus nine in the very lowest spots.”
King said it’s difficult to gauge what temperatures are damaging to cherry buds, however he predicts damage could occur at minus 12 or lower.
He said the bigger concern is for an early warm-up. As long as it stays cold through March, he said, the season should proceed as normal.