CANYON COUNTY, Idaho — Summer is one of the busiest times of the year at Garrett Ranches in Wilder, where the family has been growing fruit in Canyon County for more than 80 years.
"We have fruit available from about early June through about the first part of October," Garrett said.
From cherries and apricots to peaches and sweet corn, harvest season is already underway. But growers say producing fruit is a long-term investment that takes years of planning before shoppers ever see it on store shelves.
"It's a long-term commitment," Garrett said.
This year's growing season has come with challenges. A warm and wet spring pushed crops about 10 days ahead of normal, but late April freezes killed off some of the already-forming fruit.
"Just to give you an idea, anything below 31, 29 °F, that's in danger zone. We got to 26 [degrees]," Fallahi said.
"The cherry crop here is probably 50% of a normal crop. The apricot crop was kind of funny. One variety was almost wiped out," Garrett said.
WATCH: Growers at Garrett Ranches in Wilder say an early, warm spring pushed harvest ahead of schedule
Still, experts say Idaho remains one of the best places in the world to grow high-quality fruit, thanks to its warm days and cool nights.
"Those carbohydrates and the flavors are preserved. To be added to the fruit, that's why a buyer in England or Germany or Mexico or other places, they ask for Idaho fruit specifically, because the flavor is out of this world," Fallahi said.
Fruit production is also labor-intensive, requiring workers throughout the year for pruning, thinning, irrigating and harvesting. At Garrett Ranches, a small crew of H-2A workers helps keep operations running during the busy season.
"If we didn't have a small crew of those guys, it'd be pretty tough," Garrett said.
And while Idaho may be best known for potatoes, growers say local fruit remains an important part of the state's agricultural identity.
"It's going to taste good. It's going to be better for you, and so we are proud to offer that to our local communities here," Swallow said.
For Canyon County happenings, news, and more— join our Facebook Group: 2C Neighborhood News - Nampa, Caldwell, Middleton
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
