‘Battening down the hatches:’ Farmers rush harvest to prepare for hurricane in P.E.I., facing extra challenge of wet week

YORK, P.E.I. — Mark Ashley has spent the previous few days on the prime of a ladder with a 35-pound basket of apples strapped to his chest. Like the remainder of P.E.I. and the area, he had heard the information all week: a hurricane is the best way.

Ashley is the co-owner and operator of Wintermoor Orchard and U-pick in York, P.E.I., an apple farm instantly within the path of hurricane Fiona.

Ashley has owned the orchard for about 20 years, and it has paid for itself in that point. So, he’s not too involved about shedding a few of this 12 months’s crop. The larger fear is the well being of the timber, he mentioned in a Sept. 23 SaltWire NetWork interview.

“If one thing occurs to you and you’ll’t race (and) you may’t end the race, not less than you didn’t blow the motor. You’ll be able to race once more tomorrow.”

P.E.I.’s Emergency Measures Group is warning Islanders to organize for winds gusting as much as 170 km/h and rainfall as much as 200 mm in some elements of the Island, starting Friday evening.

Hurricane warnings have additionally famous most timber nonetheless have their leaves, making them extra more likely to tackle wind injury. For Ashley, too many apples on the branches means catching much more wind.

“(I) took fairly a couple of kilos of the most effective apples off the tops of the timber,” he mentioned. “I received in what I might for occasions like Farm Day within the Metropolis and all that. You wish to go there with some good, recent apples. So, I received a good quantity in – in fact, a good quantity could also be one per cent of the crop.”

When post-tropical storm Dorian hit in September of 2019, it took out some apples, although not sufficient to fully shut down the u-pick for the season. However Ashley isn’t certain what to anticipate this time. Whereas he’s nervous, he’s additionally optimistic, particularly after the previous week’s climate.

“(I) took fairly a couple of kilos of the most effective apples off the tops of the timber,” he mentioned. “I received in what I might for occasions like Farm Day within the Metropolis and all that. You wish to go there with some good, recent apples. So, I received a good quantity in – in fact, a good quantity could also be one per cent of the crop.”

– Mark Ashley, co-owner and operator of Wintermoor Orchard

Earlier this week, the forecast referred to as for rain within the days forward of Fiona. This has largely held off, although, which is a reduction for Ashley, he mentioned

“It didn’t rain, so the bottom did not get a complete week to melt up. As a result of what occurs is, if the bottom will get gentle, the timber will type of begin toggling round and begin ripping out their roots.”

Ashley additionally sees a optimistic in how further rain might have an effect on the apples that stay. Wintermoor isn’t irrigated, so all the water the timber get comes from rain, and there hasn’t been an excessive amount of within the late rising season, Ashley mentioned.

So, the wind will skinny the apples, however these left will get a lift of water they haven’t seen in about eight weeks, he mentioned.

“You get much less apples on the tree and a few rain, and hastily, you’re upping the dimensions and the quantity of the apples which are nonetheless on the tree.”

Maple Bloom

Ashley definitely wasn’t the one Island farmer who was scrambling this week.

Jordan MacPhee, co-owner and operator of Maple Bloom Farm, was too busy within the discipline for a cellphone interview, however he did reply SaltWire questions by e mail on Sept. 21 and 22.

His farm began planning forward when the dangerous climate was predicted for Sept. 22-23, earlier than the hurricane warning even got here, he mentioned.

“We already harvested what we want for the week yesterday, now as we speak (Sept. 21) we’re specializing in getting it packed and dealing on ‘battening down the hatches’, so to talk.”

Maple Bloom operates a meals field program and a weekly sales space on the Charlottetown Farmers’ Market, however they anticipate the market to be closed this weekend, MacPhee mentioned.

“To get forward of the climate, we’re transferring our farm field pickups to tomorrow as a substitute of Friday, simply in case the storm advances extra shortly than anticipated.”

Seed savers

Tina Davies, co-owner of Emmerdale Eden Farm and the P.E.I. Seed Alliance in Summerside, has been preparing for the storm, too.

Like MacPhee, Davies was unavailable for a full interview due to work within the discipline.

“I’m consistently checking to see what is prepared for harvest and which greens, like sure squash varieties, usually are not fairly prepared to usher in but,” she mentioned in a Sept. 21 message to SaltWire.

The seed firm poses one other problem. Beans, for instance, must dry out on the stalk earlier than getting used to develop new vegetation.

“Beans particularly haven’t all dried down but, so we are able to solely usher in these which are prepared,” Davies mentioned. “Yesterday earlier than the rain began, (we) picked the dry pole beans, however now it’s simply too moist.”

After rain of their space earlier within the week, Davies was additionally involved about squash being flooded.

“Soil is already fairly saturated,” she mentioned.

With the time to organize now gone, Ashley simply needs the hurricane to be over with, he mentioned with fun, the morning of Sept. 23.

“I want it might hurry up and are available, get it over with. I suppose the apprehension is killing me.”

Logan MacLean is a reporter with SaltWire Community

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@loganmaclean94