Hailstones- grower’s nightmare



On Sunday 15th July we were hit quite badly with a hail storm on two farms, where we grow a premium variety Braeburn apples, causing damages on 80% of the crop. The damages were very severe, some apples were hit so hard they split the skin and left large indentations. Hail, the size of a golf ball, was reported on the local news, doing some damages to the vehicles in the area

Cherry and Soft Fruit Show, 2007


On Friday, Mansfields took part in the 77th Cherry and Soft Fruit Show at the County Agricultural Showground in Detling and we were awarded 1st prizes in 5 categories, 2nd prize in 4 categories and 3rd prize in 5 categories. We have also won the JP Distributors Bowl-Highest points all classes and the Fyffes monro group bowl- for the Highest points collected in the categories in Division 1

Cherry harvesting time at Mansfields!


The 2007 harvest began a week earlier than usual. The traditional cherry picking in Kent has changed, the modern commercial cherry orchards against traditional are easier to pick, trees are kept smaller and here at Mansfields we grow them in 2 and 3 row beds, with some of our cherries having rain covers and anti- bird protection.
The cherry season is short, usually up to 4 weeks but is very dynamic, and as proven this year, quite challenging as well. There are a lot of preharvest and postharvest factors that can affect the quality of the cherries. Overall the cherries are very delicate product and Dr. Max Patterson, Professor and Horticulturist at Washington State University, has defined them as:
1. A bag of water, air, and organic chemicals
2. A series of compartments within compartments, individually packaged in a larger master package
3. A fragile, living entity at the cellular level as complex as human life; while at attached to the tree, nourished by the tree; but when detached, must live off of itself at the mercy of the environment.
The final definition implies the fragile nature of a cherry and the challenge facing today’s production. It is critical to harvest during the cooler periods of the day, when the cherries are cooler, and to keep them in the shade once they are harvested. The cherries are picked when firm and when have reached full maturity and colour as they will not ripen off the tree. After being picked it is crucial for the cherries to be held in temperature controlled environment. They are being transported to the packhouse in temperature controlled vehicles and held in humidified chilled air to minimize the vapor pressure difference between the fruit and the external air- warmer cherries lose water much more quickly than cooler cherries!
The selection and packing of the cherries is also done in temperature control environment and the completed product is sent out within 48 hours of being picked.
Our aim is to deliver to the customer a farm-fresh fruit, which are just naturally more delicious and nutritious!

Crop and weather summary

June 2007
“Flaming June”… Remember those long, warm, sunny days in the summer...? Well, not this summer so far. It is easy to forget that the first half of June was with a fine and warm start, although lacking notable hot days or prolonged sunny periods. The rains did not start until the 12th or 13th, but most parts of the country have had some rain, little or much, on every single day since then. Some regions of the country received 300-400% above average rainfall for the month, setting their wettest June on record. Sunshine was generally below average across the UK, with some areas having their dullest June on record. This weather did not reflect very well on the crop and because of the very heavy rains we have lost about 30% of our cherry production due to splitting. The dull weather has also delayed the development of our everbearer strawberry varieties- at present our production is a week behind. But on the other hand the apples and the pears are growing well, with both- a good crop load and sizing, as they have taken up a lot of water. Slowly but surely we have begun the cherry picking, varieties like Summit and Sylvia are already on the shop shelf. We have also finished our early main crop of Elsanta strawberries. Thinning of plum crop was completed in June, and apple thinning begun at the end June and will continue into July.