The early outlook for the Flathead Valley cherry harvest is good, county Agriculture Extension Agent Pat McGlynn says.

“We have a moderate set now,” she said.

Grower Louise Swanberg, on the west shore of the lake, said she has “a really nice crop hanging on the trees.”

Yellow Bay grower Gary Hoover said his cherries are between the size of nickels and quarters and other orchards in Yellow Bay have similar-sized fruit.

Exactly when harvest will begin is uncertain, but several growers speculated last week that cherries won’t be ready for picking until late July. Harvest last year started the last week in July, with some growers, including Hoover, not picking until Aug. 10.

Most fruit hadn’t set when hail and rain hit the valley in late May and early June, “so we saw no damage here,” McGlynn said. Likewise last week’s hail missed the orchards. Growers say the Flathead Valley microclimates mean hail may strike nearby, but usually misses their orchards.

Lighter, small hail was reported at Lakeside, Swanberg said, but not at her orchard.

“We had no significant hail damage,” Swanberg said.

What local cherries need now, Swanberg said, is heat.

“We need what we call degree days to make the cherries grow,” she said. Early season rain never hurts cherries, Swanberg said. But, heat needs to follow that rain.

Because of early warm weather in April and May, the cherry trees bloomed early, bringing bees out to pollinate, McGlynn said. When the late May cold snap hit, the bees were able to stay inside the blooms and survive the temperature drop. When it warmed back up, “the bees got busy,” McGlynn said.

Few growers have told McGlynn about a June drop either, she said. Often in June if trees are too full, some of the fruit simply drops off. She speculated the drop may not be widespread this year.

Dick Beighle’s orchard at Finley Point experienced a drop of between 20 and 50 percent of fruit, he said.

Swanberg said she experienced “a little bit of a drop.”

Cherry growers in Washington expect a bumper crop this summer, McGlynn said. But, recent rains could cause many of the Washington cherries to split. Split cherries get lower prices than cherries in top condition and many split cherries aren't accepted by major buyers.

“In ag, you never know,” McGlynn said. Weather plays a big role in any crop cycle and there's plenty of time left in the cherry-growing season for things to change, she said.

On another fruit production topic, McGlynn said the cold hardy grapes, planted as part of a trial effort to grow grapes in the area, are all flourishing.

“We had a couple of cold nights, but the grapes are still doing well,” she said.

The trial involves table grapes and wine grapes, she said. The plan is to grow grapes that people can eat and to grow grapes that can be used to make wine.

McGlynn is currently inspecting hay grown in Flathead County to determine if it can be classified as weed-free.

Certified weed-free hay is required in national parks and recreation areas and desired by many horse training facilities.

Fires and damaging weather conditions in other states likely mean hay from Flathead County will sell at premium prices again this year, McGlynn said.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.