A farmer can literally lose a crop over night if the temperatures are sever enough. Matson Fruit has one of the most aggressive frost protection systems in the industry. The results of the extra wind machines and propane heaters can be seen at harvest. It is our opinion that cold spring nights can contribute to mal-shaped and fruit that preforms poorly in storage. In summer pests can be a problem so we of course have a pest management program.
Summer also can see very hot temperatures that can damage the fruit.
We control this by cooling our orchards by sprinkling water over the trees. In the summer months the fruit is also thinned by hand to break up clusters of apples and allow the fruit to have space to grow. Autumn is when the apples start to put on color. About six weeks before harvest we apply a new hormone to the apples to help them get redder and it also will help them stay crispy in the months ahead. August through October are the months of harvest .