The Clanton Advertiser

After starting earlier than normal this year, peach season in Chilton County is drawing to a close.

The season will probably end within the next one to three weeks, according to Jim Pitts, director of Auburn University’s Chilton Research and Extension Center.

“For our growers, it’s already over with,” Pitts said.

Varieties still bearing fruit include Fairtime, Tyler, Parade and Autumn Prince.

Most crops arrived in May, with certain varieties ripening earlier because of the short winter.

Pitts said peach crops located south of Highway 22 did not fare as well as those north of 22.

“The fruit didn’t set,” Pitts said of the less fortunate crops. “We didn’t have enough chill hours.”

Although the county’s peaches received 300–400 fewer chill hours, demand for the fruit was as high as it’s ever been.

“This year, we sold every pound we picked,” Pitts said. “Large or small, there was somebody wanting to buy it. A lot of things got bought this year that wouldn’t get bought in previous years.”