News Release

Upcoming Fruit Harvest Reduced

Date: August 5, 2020
Contact: Visitor Center, 435-425-3791

While August usually represents the beginning of the peach, apple, and pear harvest in Capitol Reef National Park, there is a very limited crop of fruit available for picking this year. 

The reduced harvest is primarily due to a cold snap in the middle of April that caused fruit blossoms in the park to freeze. Nighttime temperatures in Fruita dropped below 32 degrees Fahrenheit for several days on two separate occasions in April. These cold snaps coincided with the orchard bloom, and as a result many blossoms were terminated before developing into fruit. Wildlife activity and a break in the irrigation line have also contributed to stress on the trees and the limited harvest. 

The Fruita orchards are maintained by the National Park Service using historic fruit production methods in keeping with the preservation of the historic district, and tools to limit the impacts of untimely frosts are limited. These freezing events provide insights into the challenges faced by the pioneer settlers who established the orchards in the late 1880s. They can also allow for a better understanding of the obstacles present when growing fruit trees in the variable environment of Southern Utah. 

Late season Elberta and J.H. Hale peach varieties will be very limited compared to past years. Early season apple varieties, namely Ginger Gold apples, have been similarly affected. Late season apple and pear varieties were less severely affected, though harvests will be less than usual. “Fruit yields this season are approximately 80% lower than average” says park Horticulturist Fritz Maslan. 

Fruit harvest information is regularly updated on the park’s Facebook page, Twitter feed, and on the fruit hotline reached by calling [phone]. For more information about the Fruita orchards please visit: https://www.nps.gov/care/learn/historyculture/orchards.htm. 

For more information about Capitol Reef National Park, visit www.nps.gov/care, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CapitolReefNPS/ , Twitter www.twitter.com/CapitolReefNPS , and Instagram at www.instagram.com/Capitolreefnps