B.C. growers buoyed by balmy September weather weather, local

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B.C. growers buoyed by balmy September weather
With more than 70 temperature records shattered across the province this past week, local farms are bouncing back after last year's poor harvest



Local foodies can expect a bounty of B.C. produce in grocery stores this fall and winter, thanks to September's record-breaking warm weather.

"Everybody was nervous after losing their crops for the first time in 90 years last year," said Murray Driediger, president of BC Fresh, a consortium of 32 local farms that supplies potatoes, onions, beets and carrots to B.C. grocers from harvest through the winter and spring.

"With the late spring and wet early summer [we] were concerned, but we've had a great late July, August and early September and the crops look great."

More than 70 temperature records were shattered across B.C. over the past week, according to Environment Canada meteorologist David Jones. Whistler, Abbotsford and Lytton have all seen their historical record highs smashed day after day.

"It's been super dry, we haven't had any rain yet in September," he said Monday. "It's been wide open sunny and the last five or six days have been absolutely spectacular."

The first "summertime ridge" of sustained heat, high barometric pressure and offshore winds formed late last week with less than two weeks to go until autumn, he noted.

But things are about to change. Jones said the first wisps of cloud will start to come in today and temperatures will return to normal by the weekend.

Even swimming season has been temporarily extended. Kits Pool usually shuts down the Sunday after Labour Day, according to park board spokeswoman Joyce Courtney, but the pool will remain open from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. until Sept. 19.

Lifeguard service at Vancouver's public beaches ended on Labour Day, as it has for decades.

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Driediger said the harvest is about three weeks later than usual due to poor growing conditions in spring, but the recent good weather promises to produce normal yields.

"The quality is looking really good," he said.

"We are beginning to put product in storage this week."

About 80 per cent of BC Fresh's locally grown produce stays in B.C.

Fall crops in much of Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley were virtually wiped out last year by heavy rains that started on Aug. 31 and continued right through the end of September. Potatoes and root vegetables were left to rot in the ground, costing farmers an estimated $30 million.

B.C. apple growers are also reaping the rewards of warm days and cool nights for their produce, said Rick Austin, director of sales for BC Tree Fruits.

Consumers can expect to see B.C.-grown apples in stores sporting the "BC leaf" logo right through next summer, he said.

"The long summer is definitely helping after we had that cool spring," said Austin. Apples are coming in bigger than average and with above-average colour, albeit 10 days behind schedule due to cool conditions earlier in the year."

Sunrise, Early Gold and Ginger Gold apples are already on store shelves, with BC Galas to come later in the week. Macintosh come soon after that and Spartans will be harvested just ahead of the first frost.

Produce at Vancouver's Farmers Markets has been an embarrassment of riches in recent weeks, according to operations manager Roberta LaQuaglia.

While last year was characterized by lost crops of blueberries, onions and root vegetables, this growing season is a story of wave upon wave of crops overlapping each other.

"September is always busy for growers, but this year we are seeing apples, on top of peaches, on top of cherries, everything all at one time," she said.

The last few weeks of warm weather bode well for winter market crops.

"Vendors are telling us that things are going smoothly getting set up for winter time, but that irrigation is an issue in that some crops they might not ordinarily water need to be watered this year," LaQuaglia said.

Vancouver's Winter Farmers Market opens Saturdays starting Nov. 5 in the east parking lot of Nat Bailey Stadium.

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Tim Guichon looks over some of this year's potato harvest at his farm in Ladner on September 12, 2011.