Due to the fact that we grow the cherries in harness with the weather there are certain issues that are totally out of our control, which could impact on the subsequent yield and means yields will vary slightly from tree to tree.

Frosts during flowering can kill the developing fruitlet and stop the cherry from setting. However, due to the height of the orchard above sea level and the lateness of flowering of the varieties grown, this is relatively unlikely. Moreover, sometimes frost is a blessing in disguise and thins the crop to produce the optimum amount of full size cherries per tree. NB in 20 previous years as an apple orchard this site never suffered from a serious frost.

June drop - If the weather is too cold in May this can lead to the fruitlets struggling to grow and eventually dropping off the tree in early June. However, the Gisela rootstock is not known to suffer from this problem and one of the over-riding benefits is that it retains the fruit eradicating this problem.

Rain in large quantities at, or near to picking, can cause the fruit to split. This occurs due to a sudden uptake of water through the root system, combined with rain water running over the cherry and expanding the fruit through osmosis until it reaches its optimum size and splits. The varieties we have planted all have a very high tolerance to splitting and if the tree's nutritional health is correct this limits the problem further. The trees are also planted on ridges to direct the excess water away from the root system. Moreover, with the advance in technology and knowledge available we can stop the majority of splitting with good growing practices and maintaining a healthy tree. Even the most extreme of summer rain events will only split a proportion of the fruit and the spoilt cherries can still be eaten, they just have limited shelf life. Also, what a good excuse to make Jam, pies and Wine!

Please note if you do not come and pick the fruit from your cherry tree during the designated time period, when it will be ripe, we will pick it the day after this period has expired to ensure that the fruit is not wasted.