Agriculture: fruit trees in the Annapolis Valley

Self-tutoring about farming in the Annapolis Valley: the tutor reflects….

As a kid I spent a few years in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia. Farming was everywhere, and included many of my classmates.

Tonight, just browsing the internet, I came across the suggestion that, in the Annapolis Valley, apples are the dominant tree fruit because peach and cherry trees may struggle against temperatures -24C or lower.

Truly, we did get temperatures below -24C every winter I can recall in the Valley. Nights that cold weren’t common, but we probably got around seven of them per year. The common nighttime winter temperature was likely between 0 and -10C.

Anyway, in the Valley, I knew a mountain kid who said his farm was near the top of the mountain, and that they had a peach orchard. (There, the “mountains” have farms even around the top – they’re much gentler than here). I thought of him tonight, reading the comment about peach trees being a challenge to maintain in the Valley due to temperatures that sink to -24C or below.

The interesting point is that he said his farm was high on the mountain, near the top. On cold winter nights, the forecast can mention that inland valleys will get even colder than forecast: cold air sinks. Therefore, the fact that a peach orchard would be up on the mountain makes sense.

I hope to follow up:)

Source:

thecanadianencyclopedia.ca

dermott.ca