NJ apple orchards need your support now for unusual problem

The weather hasn't been kind to New Jersey's apple growers. Last year in particular was especially rough for them.

The great drought conditions of 2022 punished orchards and farms all throughout the Garden State. And to top it off, it was incredibly hot.

This year, however, the weather was much kinder. We did, however, have a rough start in Spring.

April 2023 in particular featured an unusual stretch of much higher-than-average heat throughout New Jersey. On top of that, it was also very dry.

Conditions at the time were shaping up to be similar to how it was during the summer of 2022. Fortunately, that trend didn't last.

As the spring rolled on, New Jersey's weather became more favorable for growing. Great news for anyone living throughout The Garden State.

And for those who run apple orchards, the closer-to-average weather was certainly welcomed. We also avoided another extreme drought further helping out growers in the state.

In fact, the summer of 2023 lacked the heatwaves that we've been seeing in recent years. Sure, we had a couple, but none of them were nearly as extreme as they could've been.

And although we did have a late-season heatwave to kick off September, overall we did fairly well this growing season. This, of course, is fantastic news for apple-picking season.

And the apples this year are huge and plentiful. Very large apples thanks in part to continued very favorable weather conditions.

So with all of that said, what could be the problem orchards are facing now? And how is that problem weather-related?

All you have to do is look at when it's been raining throughout the Garden State this fall. The Weekend of October 14 and 15 marked the sixth weekend in a row that it rained, which has negatively affected business at the orchards.

Sunday, October 15 finally featured a nice rain-free day, so my family decided to take a trip to one of New Jersey's orchards. Like so many others around the state, we didn't head out earlier this season because of the endless rain we've endured every weekend after Labor Day.

Normally by later October the selection of apples dwindles down, but not this year. Huge apples still remain on the trees with the trees themselves looking pretty much untouched.

Even though the weather has been favorable for such a great crop, rainy weekends have prevented people from heading out to the fields to pick their own apples. That, in turn, is hurting business.

The problem with going into the fields when it rains is that it gets very muddy. And a lot of the rains we have been receiving on the weekends have been quite heavy.

Even on Sunday, October 15, the fields were still a little slick despite the sun shining. Fortunately, a decent about of people finally were able to make the visit to pick their own apples and pumpkins.

One of the staff workers said that they normally close up by the end of October. But because they still have so many apples and full trees due to the rain, they might actually be extending beyond Halloween just so they can sell what they have.

A very unusual problem especially when everything else has gone so well this year. Simply put, the rainy weekends have really been hurting business and these orchards can use your support.

The apples, by the way, are absolutely delicious this year so you won't be disappointed at all. If the sun finally decides to make a few more appearances on upcoming weekends, please consider spending some time picking your own apples and pumpkins from a New Jersey orchard (list of locations below).

Heck, at this point let's even settle for a cloudy day. Our fall weather has been great, but enough already with these rainy weekends.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.