DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — As cooler weather settles in, it's having an effect on local orchards. Growers across the area shared how the season is shaping up.
At Robertson Orchard in Sturgeon Bay, they grow a dozen different kinds of apples.
"Whitney Crab, Red Free, Ginger Gold, Wealthy," owner Skipp Robertson said.
We spoke with local orchard owners, to see if the cooler weather has an impact on their season, watch below:
Robertson says they’re about a week into the pick-your-own apple season but it’s starting later than usual due to the cooler temperatures.
"Everything's late this year," Robertson said.
That means the more popular varieties will likely take a bit longer to ripen.
"I'm still anticipating it's gonna be a slow ripening for our more mainstream apples like the Macintosh, Courtland, then Honeycrisp. People ask us all the time when they're gonna be ready and we're not quite sure," Robertson said.
Just a few miles north, Jeff Wood at Wood Orchard says the weather has actually been perfect for his apples
"This feels like an early fall, but that's actually what the apples need to finish off really well some nice fall weather," Jeff Wood, the owner of Wood Orchard said.
The orchard is currently growing four apple varieties. Although pick-your-own isn’t available, Wood anticipates a successful season.
"Actually, October is traditionally our busiest month," Wood said.
Wood says that although October is typically their busiest month, the orchard sells apples to local retailers through January.
At Robertson Orchard, while the most popular varieties may be ripening a bit slower this year, visitors can still pick other varieties priced at fifteen dollars per quarter bushel. Meanwhile, Wood Orchard apples are available at their store in Egg Harbor.
