Cherries on top

The cherry season is about three weeks ahead, with some already picked for sale at the Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival.

At his Graphite Road orchard, Newton Orchards owner Harvey Giblett said there was a good supply of cherries for next week, compared to 2018 when cherries were still being picked.

“Last season we didn’t finish picking until about January 2 or 3,” he said.

“Mother Nature dishes up what she’s going to dish up and we can only do what we can.”

Mr Giblett said the cherry harvest should be done in time for Christmas.

“I think a lot of this season’s fruit will be earlier, apples are looking that way too,” he said.

“The hail about a month ago certainly didn’t help and the damage was quite bad.

“Not much of the State missed out.”

Mr Giblett said he expected a moderate crop for cherries but quality would be high.

“We like that because a big crop means smaller berries, which nobody likes, and more work,” he said.

“A moderate crop means we have bigger cherries.”

Mr Giblett said overall, WA was not a heavy-growing place for cherries, unlike places like the South Australian hills, Victoria and New South Wales, which had more cooler hours.

“But, like everything that grows here, we have magnificent crops,” he said.

“We’re fortunate that, although the climate is changing, we still have a moderate climate.”

Mr Giblett said the Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival worked so well because people loved cherries and it was ideally placed in the calendar ahead of the Christmas festive season.