Local cherry harvest a month away

Summer in the Flathead means one sweet harvest to look forward to: cherries.

Whether the fruit is blushing yellow or a seductive dark red, the annual cherry harvest is an event eagerly anticipated each year.

Though last year's harvest was small, Dale Nelson, president of the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers Cooperative - which has existed since 1946 - said the cherry growing community is looking forward to an estimated 3 million pounds of cherries this summer.

"A good guess for the moment," he said of the estimate. "In June we find out what cherries got pollinated and which did not."

First, though, the trees have to get through the June drop: Trees that were not pollinated by bees will produce small cherries that will fall to the ground after reaching a certain size.

To pollinate the cherry trees, growers import semi-truck loads of beehives that have been moved from almond orchards in California. Pollination typically occurs two to three weeks before Mother's Day, Nelson said. The honey that the bees produce also is harvested.

Nelson said most of the members of the cherry growers co-op will begin nutrient spraying soon, though there are some organic growers and some independent growers that do not spray.

"They do fairly well," Nelson said. "A small organic orchard may produce 20,000 to 30,000 pounds [of cherries' a year."

After the harvest, which should start around July 20, the majority of the cherries grown in the valley will leave it, bound for Washington where the Monson Fruit Co. packs the fruit. The cherries then will be distributed and marketed nationally and internationally by Domex Inc. of Yakima, Wash.

Most of the cherries grown in the Flathead are either Rainier, which are a yellow blush color, or one of three varieties of Dark Sweet. Nelson said he believed that the original variety of Dark Sweet in the valley was Lambert. That kind has been joined by the Lapin and Sweetheart varieties.

"I'd say about 95 percent of our fruit goes to the big commercial" stores, Nelson said. "It goes overseas, or to Wal-Mart, Costco, Kroger."

It takes 102 member orchards to grow so many cherries each year. Some orchards only six to seven acres. Other orchards surrounding Flathead Lake are 40 to 50 acres.

These orchards are engaging in extensive horticulture, tending the crop and improving it each year.

"We're competing with growers all over the country," Nelson said. "We do a lot of nutrient sprays. A fair amount of care goes into a successful orchard."

Co-op members have access

to the latest technology, Nelson said, and each year growers send leaves from their trees to be analyzed. Tests can show if a tree needs more zinc or nitrogen, for example, Nelson said.

"I think we are going to have some really nice fruit," Nelson said. "It's always been good fruit but it's starting to be really exceptional. It's surprising, the technology that's come up in the past few years."

He pointed to almost a decade of carefully cultivating pruning methods and experimenting with irrigation and nutrients.

Nelson said there will be, for the second year, special advertising areas in Wal-Mart plus Flathead Valley Cherries-specific packaging. Roadside stands are prolific on the east side of the lake (with some on the west side), and people are welcome to stop by orchards and ask to purchase bags of the fruit.

Cherries also offer a way for valley residents to funnel money back into the local economy.

"If 'residents' go into their grocery store and don't see any Flathead cherries, they should talk to the manager," Nelson said. "If they're buying produce, it would be nice if they're buying it from their neighbors."

Reporter K.J. Hascall may be reached at 758-4439 or by e-mail at kjhascall@dailyinterlake.com