Some trees have had petal drop and there are those few groves that are lagging behind with only swelling bloom buds. Picking of early and mid oranges is nearly over except for a little scrapping of scattered groves. Valencia movement is increasing as many processors want late oranges to blend with their higher ratio early and mid orange juice. Grapefruit harvest is also on the increase due to the additional labor made available from the completed orange crews. Most of the Temples are going to the processor, while the majority of the Honey tangerines are being packed for fresh utilization.
Caretakers are active cutting cover crops and applying spring herbicides.
Hedging and topping continue. However, there is very little burning of debris due to the current dry conditions causing limited burn permits. Post bloom-nutritional sprays have started. Continued dry weather is increasing irrigation. Major vegetables available include potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, endive, escarole, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, lettuce, radishes, snap beans, squash, strawberries, sweet corn, and eggplant.