What’s the “Buzz” at Kirschenman

Spring is popping at Kirschenman and we are grateful to be a part of California’s farming community. Bees help plants reproduce by facilitating pollination as they search for pollen and nectar to feed themselves and their young. Here you can see the bees in action. The trees are nectarine trees and they are a special White Nectarine variety called Polar Lights.

These Polar Light nectarines will be some of California’s first white nectarines available at a store near you early May. Feel free to reach out to our team with any questions.

Investing in the Future

Kirschenman Enterprises continuously strives to bring our customers the best quality produce by innovation through farming technique and produce selection.

We are focused on deepening our roots in the communities we serve and the fields that we call home. Recently, we have planted new varieties of stone fruits that we hope to share with you and your family in the future. Follow us on our journey as we expand our offering to bring you the best the consumer produce has to offer. Click the button below to learn about our current and future varieties.

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Kirschenman Grapes Lifecycle

We are just beginning to kick off our grape season here at Kirschenman. Take the journey with us from seed to your tables!

Dormancy
From leaf fall to the beginning of growth in spring, grapevines are dormant and consist entirely of woody tissue. Relatively little activity occurs during this period. Root growth can still occur unless soil temperatures are too cold to support growth.

Bud break
As temperatures warm in the spring, stored starch is converted to sugar and sap begins to move in the vine. This can be seen on warm spring days when pruning wounds begin to “bleed”. As temperatures warm, buds begin to swell, then burst (break). The newly emerged shoots grow very rapidly, and will continue to do so for several weeks in the absence of stress.

Bloom and Fruit
After a few weeks, depending on weather conditions, inflorescences begin to swell, and soon flowers open. The flowering period can be as short as a day or two under warm, dry conditions, or as long as a month under very cool, wet weather conditions. Grapevines are still mostly reliant on stored carbohydrates from the previous season for their energy at this point. After pollination, the flowers abscise and the newly-formed berries go through a rapid period of development due to cell division. Many leaves on each shoot are fully expanded, and the vine no longer depends on stored carbohydrates for its energy source. For the next few weeks, shoots and berries grow very rapidly.

Veraison and fruit maturation
Approximately five to seven weeks after fruit set, veraison begins. Berries expand further, begin to soften, and accumulate sugar. The color on red cultivars is readily apparent, while the visual indicators of maturity on white cultivars are more subtle. During the next four to six weeks, sugar, pigments, and other flavor compounds increase in the maturing fruit, while organic acids decrease and change forms. Unless there is an excess of water or fertility, shoot growth slows greatly or ceases. The bark of green shoots begins to turn brown from the base, becoming woody by the end of the period. On managed plantings, the veraison period ends with harvest.

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