Welcome to our Commercil Growers catalog.
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Good Morning:
Once again I have been reminded that the real boss of our business is Mother Nature.
The Spring of 2010 in Michigan started out with summer temperatures in April. The problem was the blueberries were 3 weeks advanced coming into our typical mid and late May freezes! The money DeGrandchamp Farms spent in overhead sprinkler irrigation for frost protection paid off in big dividends. Frost protection is an expensive project, but it seems in many locations it is now needed to get through the spring frosts.
The early Spring weather pushed the ripening of the blueberry crop. We had the earliest season in 52 years. In 2009 we had a late year, so you put the two years together and what do you get? You get an average ripening season, with the extreme on both ends. The summer continued to be very warm, with none of our typical cool evenings near Lake Michigan. This caused the blueberries to ripen very quickly and it became difficult to keep ahead of picking before the blueberries became over ripe. Mother Nature’s warm nights made it a challenge to harvest the blueberries, but the blueberry plants in the nursery loved it. I must say the size and growth of the plants are excellent. There are many excellent varieties available with a wide harvest time, from very early to very late. Make sure you have good supply of season long blueberries for your customers. We are always available to give you suggestions for your planting needs. I hope all of you have a successful season.
Mike DeGrandchamp