SOUTH COUNTY - The cherry crop will be lean this year for grower Hans Groenke of Mattawa and grower Cole Tonnemaker of Royal City.

"Hopefully we have half a normal crop," Groenke said recently. "Field men are saying the Mattawa area has a better crop than any place in the state, but it's spotty. There's some nice crops. There's some light crops."

Tonnemaker, who has one of the more popular fruit stands in South County, hopes to have a crop as good as 30 percent. But 25 percent may be more like it.

"My orchard is spotty. I have trees that barely have a crop, and some of them look almost like a normal crop," he said.

Tonnemaker said his troubles stem from last fall. A deep freeze that occurred before Thanksgiving came simply too early for cherry trees.

"We get really cold on the north slope of Frenchman Hills," he said.

Spring frost hurt, too, Tonnemaker said. The weather was too cold at "tight cluster" stage.

Groenke's problems were different. He doesn't believe last fall's deep freeze hurt. It was cool weather at the wrong time this spring. It kept the pollination process from fully occurring.

"There were plenty of bees," he said.

But the cherry blossoms did not fully form in regards to fertility. Daytime highs of 63-64 degrees were needed at the time, and his blossoms got 58-59 degrees.

"The temperatures were so cold that the pollen didn't get a chance to complete its job," Groenke said.

No matter the crop size, Groenke and Tonnemaker will pick. 

Groenke said he has to make up as much of the cost of operation as he can. He has already spent on sprays, fertilizers, irrigation, hand work and other needs. He has never not picked.

Tonnemaker had one year - 1991 - when he didn't pick. With his own outlet, he can get a better price for his crop than if he were a packer and shipper only. 

"We retail a lot of our fruit, and it's organic. We can pick some pretty light trees," he said.

Groenke and Tonnemaker expect to start picking later than normal. Both say the crops are ripening slowly in this cool spring. 

Tonnemaker's best estimate is for a late June opening. But the first of July is not out of the question.