Moran Previews Apple Season for Kennebec Journal
Renae Moran, a tree fruit specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, gave her predictions on this year’s apple season for the Kennebec Journal article “Maine’s cold winter and slow-starting spring are good for apple crops, expert says.” Moran said the colder and snowier winter has been good for apples, and she is “optimistic” about the season, which typically runs from August through October. She said the snow cover hasn’t been deep enough to be a problem for apple trees across Maine, and temperatures have remained stable and freezing without often reaching dangerously low levels that could harm trees, according to the article. A forecasted slight rise in temperatures over the next couple weeks also will benefit the trees, Moran said. She did caution that the deep snow could crust in spring, which would harm trees by breaking off low-hanging branches. It “could be bad,” she said, but it’s too early to tell, the article states.