(La Porte County, IN) - A heavy frost this morning has fruit growers nervous about possible heavy crop losses.

 

At Garwood Orchards outside La Porte, the extent of the damage to apples and peaches won’t be known until at least next week, said owner Carrie Garwood.  Garwood said there is damage but they’re keeping their fingers crossed the damage isn’t too severe because of how unpredictable the outcome can be from a frost.

 

“While we know there’s been some damage we also know that we’ve come through a lot of years of stuff like this.  It seems like there’s always some hedge of protection and keep some kind of a crop and keep going,” she said.,

 

Jon Drummond, owner of Williams Orchard near Hesston, said he is still assessing the damage, if any, to his apple and peach trees.  Drummond said he’s worried more about his peach crop because the buds on those trees were further along than those on his apple trees.

 

According to experts, the fruit crop in northern Indiana likely fared better than the crop downstate because the buds on trees were more open in central and southern parts of the state which also experienced frost.  Closed or partially open buds offer more protection for the flowers inside the buds from being killed by frost.

 

A fruit grower in central Indiana is reporting more than 90-percent of his crop was lost from frost the past two mornings.