POLSON — It’s that special time of year on the east shore of Flathead Lake when the Cherry tress reach full bloom.
“I mean things at the moment are looking quite promising,” said Campbell Orchards Owner and Monson Fruit Field Representative Brian Campbell.
Campbell said this season’s bloom is roughly two weeks earlier than normal due in part to this years mild winter.
“We’re actually very vulnerable all winter, and we really dodged a bullet by not having a bad arctic blast where it got to well-below zero, right here on Finley Point we never got lower than mid-teens,” said Campbell.
Watch:Flathead Lake cherry trees bloom early, promising a strong summer harvest:
Campbell said a hard freeze in 2024 stressed the trees, causing them to produce an unusually heavy bloom last spring.
This resulted in an overabundance of cherries which leads to undersized fruit.
Campbell said this year’s blossom looks to be the right amount to produce large, quality cherries.
“It’s not the more the merrier all the time, there’s an optimal amount to get good quality fruit, good-sized fruit,” added Campbell.
Campbell said Washington state’s cherry crop is not expected to flood the market this summer.
Which could mean more demand for Montana cherries.
“This year Washington is looking at a smaller than usual crop, down from 26 million boxes to under 20 million.”
Campbell said an earlier bloom makes for an earlier crop this summer. He predicts cherry harvest will start around the middle of July.
