Frost not so frightening, farmers say

Temperatures dove below freezing in South County several nights this week, but local growers don’t expect a significant impact on their crops.
In fact, some farmers said the resulting frost is mostly good for the types of produce grown locally, but a larger concern is the ongoing drought.
Orchard crops such as cherries and stone fruits need the cold weather more than most, according to longtime Morgan Hill cherry grower Andy Mariani.
“The kinds of fruit we grow around here are ideally adapted to our climate, and our climate gets frequent frost,” Mariani said. “(The trees) lose their leaves and go into winter rest. They benefit from the frost.”
Mariani compared local fruit trees without enough cold weather to people who try to be productive on lack of sleep – “like we’re trying to kick them out of bed and they’re still kind of woozy.”
Cherry trees, in particular, still need even more cold weather before winter is over. Otherwise, “they behave erratically,” Mariani said.
The predominant varieties of row crops in South County also aren’t likely to suffer from this week’s sub-freezing weather. Peppers are not even in the ground yet, according to Ian Teresi of George Chiala Farms. Garlic is in the ground, “but it grows better when you get nice cold weather like that – it makes it stronger.”
Teresi said his strawberries currently in the ground might suffer slightly, but the cold weather won’t kill them. Another strawberry grower said the fruit needs “some chilling” at this time of year.
“We don’t usually have any issues with cold weather at this time of year,” said Joe Aiello, owner of Uesugi Farms.
Teresi added that he and his crew had to take measures to protect exposed irrigation lines before this week’s cold snap in order to minimize possible damage from freezing, expanding water.
Some lettuce growers might see the cold weather “delay” or temporarily “stunt” their crops, but even the leafy greens should recover, according to Santa Clara County Farm Bureau Executive Director Jennifer Scheer.
“There isn’t much being harvested right now” throughout the County, Scheer said. She added that the ongoing drought is a larger concern right now.
Rainfall so far this season, which started July 1, is only .51-inch or about 44 percent of the average to date, according to the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s website.
Groundwater supplies remain adequate for municipal and commercial, as well as agricultural users, due to the importation of water from other areas, according to SCVWD spokesman Marty Grimes. However some of the district’s 10 reservoirs remain unusually low, such as Almaden Reservoir which is currently only about 7 percent full.
“(Imported water) is helpful but we’re definitely concerned the imported water projections are very low this year,” Grimes said. “Hopefully that changes” with more rain.