Bulk of Flathead cherry harvest still 2 weeks away
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
POLSON — Will there be Flathead cherries for the Polson Cherry Festival?
Yes, but not a whole lot.
Brian Campbell, Monson Fruit Company representative, estimated with the exception of a few early cherries, the first couple of orchards should be ready to harvest in about two weeks, around July 24.
Dale Nelson, president of the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers, agreed although he said he couldn’t speak for all 105 growers. Maybe some of the south shore or Finley Point growers may have some ripe cherries. At the growers meeting last week, Nelson said growers were urged to take cherries to Polson for the festival if they had any ripe.
“It’s always just a guess (when the cherries will be ripe),” Nelson said.
“A good rule of thumb is when an orchard is in full bloom, it’s about 80 to 84 days to harvest,” Nelson said.
They’ll be firing up the cherry plant on Finley Point on July 21 or 22, Nelson added, and will kick into major production about July 25 or 26.
