JOHNSTON - The next four to six weeks will be crucial, but right now it appears there should be a good crop of South Carolina peaches to choose from come May.

"Everything is looking good right now," said Rose Cockrell, an administrative assistant with Titan Peach Farms, in Ridge Spring.

Fortunately, a cold snap earlier this month that brought lows in the 20s didn't do much harm, growers say.

"There was certainly some damage, but it looks like we came through it OK," said Mike Dubose, whose family runs Cotton Hope Farms in Monetta, one of the larger producers of peaches in the Aiken County area.

Mr. Dubose said the temperatures shouldn't affect his farm's yield or quality or his time frame for beginning to sell to area stores -- typically around the third week of May.

It's a far cry from conditions seen two years ago on Easter morning, when a hard freeze caused damage to the state's peach crop, said Amy Howard London, the executive director of the South Carolina Peach Council.

Ms. London said that with the latest cold snap, peach farms statewide "had some minimal effects or minimal kill ... but as long as we don't get any more severe temperatures in the next four to six weeks we'll be doing pretty well."

So far this year, she said, rainfall has been good, further helping the crop.

Ms. London said most peach trees, including those in Georgia, are probably hitting their flowering peak this week.

"Everybody should be in full bloom," she said. "It is beautiful when they're in full bloom."
Reach Preston Sparks at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or preston.sparks@augustachronicle.com

PEACHY TIDBITS

A peach tree usually must be 3 to 10 years old before it bears good fruit

California is the top producer of peaches, with South Carolina second and Georgia third, despite its Peach State moniker

Harvesting of South Carolina peaches starts in mid-May

When choosing a peach, check the feel and smell, not the color. Choose peaches that are somewhat firm but give lightly to pressure, and have a sweet aroma.

Source: The South Carolina Peach Council