Cherry Orchards in Spring Late winter and early spring at the cherry orchards are like waking up from a satisfying nap. Emerging fruit buds must be protected from the cold. Propane heaters are fired up when freezing temperatures threaten. If the tiny buds are allowed to freeze, the entire cherry crop can be lost. To protect against freezing temperatures on cold nights, workers leave their warm beds to light the heaters and start the wind machines.
Wind machines are towers with propellers at the top.
The turning propellers pull down the warm air and mix it with the cooler air close to the ground. As fruit buds become blossoms, it s cherry blossom time, and honeybee hives are placed throughout the orchard. During the month of May, the buds that aren t pollinated fall to the ground. The surviving buds are hearty and quickly swell to the size of your small finger. With warm weather and cool nights, the green fruit buds ripen and change to a rich, deep red.