Farm experts aren’t worried about early bloomers

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The unusually mild winter has led a number of plants to start blooming ahead of schedule. But horticulture experts said it’s not too big of a deal, and for now, people should just sit back and enjoy the early spring show.

Even peach farmers in South Carolina and Georgia aren’t worried about the warm weather, even though their trees need a certain amount of cold weather to bloom properly.

This winter hasn’t been the warmest on record in the major peach growing regions of the two states, but the nights have been unusually mild.

The biggest fear for peach farmers is a late freeze after the trees are blooming. Temperatures dipped below 30 on April 8, 2007, wiping out more than 80 percent of the peach crop.