MAINE PUBLIC • August 21, 2023
A period of extreme cold back in February and late-season frosts in May have not been kind to Maine's peaches and apples. Renae Moran, a fruit tree specialist for the University of Maine's Cooperative Extension, estimates that the frosts in May knocked out about half of the state's apple crop. But Maine's peach farmers have fared far worse this year, because of a few days of extreme cold in February. Peaches are difficult to grow in Maine, and the crop is prone to partial or complete loss about every other year or so.