Andy’s Orchard faces tiny cherry harvest

Andy’s Orchard in Morgan Hill expects one of its smallest cherry crops on record after a warm winter and a heat wave during bloom. (gilroydispatch.com) Owner Andy Mariani told the Gilroy Dispatch his orchard will produce no more than 5% of a normal cherry crop. Cherries cover 40 of his 70 acres, making the shortfall a major hit to the farm’s spring business. (gilroydispatch.com) Growers from Coyote Valley to Hollister reported similar damage on April 22, with bare stems where fruit should be forming. In Gilroy, Borello Family Farms said it is unlikely to open its U-pick cherry operation this year, or would do so only for a very limited season. (gilroydispatch.com) The weather problem came in two steps. Mariani said South Bay orchards usually get only 600 to 700 winter chill hours, below the 800 to 850 hours his Bing cherries need, and this year the total was barely 400 before temperatures later climbed above 100 degrees during bloom. (gilroydispatch.com) Cherry trees need enough cold in winter to reset for spring, and they need mild weather when blossoms open so pollen can fertilize the flowers. The United States Department of Agriculture says California crops with high chill requirements and low tolerance for heat exposure are especially vulnerable as temperatures rise. (gilroydispatch.com; climatehubs.usda.gov) The losses are not limited to one orchard. KTVU reported this week that San Felipe Farms, which manages 550 acres of cherries, said some orchards have no crop at all, and B and T Farms said the yield is too light to justify a commercial pick. (ktvu.com) That matters because cherries are still picked by hand, and labor is one of the crop’s biggest costs. When trees carry only a few cherries, growers can lose money by sending crews into the field at all. (ktvu.com; agnetwest.com) The local collapse also stands out because the statewide picture is mixed. AgNet West reported on April 15 that California’s 2026 cherry crop was expected to rebound to 8 million to 8.5 million cartons after a difficult 2025 season, but Hollister was among the weaker districts. (agnetwest.com) Andy’s Orchard is not just a wholesale farm. The Morgan Hill orchard, run by a family with Santa Clara Valley roots dating to the early 1930s, also sells directly to customers and hosts seasonal tastings and tours. (andysorchard.com) Mariani told the Dispatch the same weather pattern also wiped out some of his high-chill peaches and plums, including Baby Crawford peaches and Greengage plums. For South Valley cherry buyers, that means fewer local boxes, a shorter season, and in some orchards almost nothing to pick. (gilroydispatch.com)