Ripe and Ready -- Trunnell's harvesting its 'best peach crop'
Jul. 4—In late April, area peach growers were faced with a freeze warning that could've damaged their crop.
But Kevin Trunnell, owner of Trunnell's Farm Market in Utica, said his peach crop, especially the early varieties, survived the spring cold snap.
"The biggest hurdle is them not getting frozen out after they've bloomed," Trunnell said. "We had a scare this year and it actually didn't hurt them at all. ...It has to get below 27 degrees for so many hours and I think our low was 29."
And instead of suffering losses, Trunnell said his peach trees are bearing more fruit than ever. He's expecting at least 200 bushels of peaches from his acre this year.
"It's probably the best peach crop we've ever grown," Trunnell said. "We haven't been doing it that long but I've heard the same thing from peach-growing areas in the south U.S. this year."
Trunnell opened his Utica roadside market, at 9255 U.S. 431, in 2008.
Four years later, he planted 1,000 peach trees on an acre of ground.
"It was just the natural next step," said Trunnell about why he decided to plant a peach orchard. "I was already growing all kinds of vegetables and people love fruit — watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, strawberries, blackberries. Those are our most popular produce items that we sell."
After peach trees are planted, it takes 36 months before the true first crop is ready.
"We didn't pick any the first year; the second year we picked just a very few even though they say not pick any the second year," Trunnell said. "...And in our third year, we had a decent crop."
Although Georgia and South Carolina are known for peaches, California ranks first in the United States in peach production, supplying 56% of the country.
In all, 20 states grow peaches, providing the United States with nearly 700,000 tons annually, according to the Agriculture Marketing Resource Center.
With Kentucky's soil and climate, Trunnell said smaller peach orchards are more common.
Trunnell said the key to growing peaches, which are self-pollinating, is pruning and thinning the trees as they grow and age.
"They need a lot of sunlight, and if you have too many branches that shade the fruit, the fruit won't grow and mature right," Trunnell said.
Trunnell began harvesting this year's crop in mid-June and will continue to pick through mid-August.
Once the peaches are picked, Trunnell said their shelf lives are much longer than expected.
"When they're ripe, they can still be hard but give them a little time and they will mature just sitting on your counter," he said. "...You could put a peach in a cooler and it will hold for a month — no problem. But if you want it to ripen sooner, you just don't put it in a cooler."
And whether or not they're soft or crunchy depends on how long they're allowed to ripen.
"I like a No. 2 peach — one that's just about to go bad," Trunnell said. "I think it's the juiciest; you bite into it and the juice just goes everywhere."
Peach trees have an average lifespan of 12 years before they stop bearing fruit.
With his being eight years old, Trunnell said he'll likely start planting new peach trees either next year or the year after.
"When this plays out, we'll make this part of our Family Fun Acre and we'll plant new peach trees somewhere else," Trunnell said.
Don Wilkins, dwilkins@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7299
Don Wilkins, dwilkins@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7299
