Indications point to a crop that's larger than last year While most of the Northwest cherry buds are still wrapped up tight and waiting for the warmer days to come, several of the earliest regions and varieties have begun to push their blooms. It's still far too early to translate these stages into an overall projection of 2021 crop to come.
General Crop Size: It's too early to project a volume for the 2021 crop. Almost all indications point to a crop that's larger than last year, but then 2020 was smaller than the 4 years which preceded it. A few growers are reporting seeing 4 flowers per bud, but the majority seem to be in the standard 2-3 range. Aside from the total potential of what the tree sets are the natural limiters of Little Cherry Disease, cold damage from winter and frost events this spring. So far, the Northwest has swung dramatically from very warm to cold days with 1 frost event already on record. With orchards spread across 5 states and 2,000 feet of elevation, there will surely be a promotable crop to come...but it's just too early to create an accurate estimate.