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Cherry crops in South Bay diminished because of warm weather
Cherry crops in South Bay diminished because of warm weather.9
GILROY, Calif. - The situation is dire for Santa Clara County cherry orchards.
Perfect storm of bad cherry weather
What they're saying:
Cherry trees are nearly bare in Gilroy because of weather. April 20, 2026
At Borello Family Farms in Gilroy, they broke the news over social media: There will likely be no u-pick cherry season this year.
The reason is a "perfect storm" of unfavorable weather conditions that left trees nearly barren.
"Unfortunately, Mother Nature did not cooperate at all this year," growers shared on Instagram. "It wasn't cold enough during the winter, and it was too hot during the bloom."
The result is that there is practically no fruit; maybe three or four cherries per tree. It's the same situation all over Santa Clara County.
At San Felipe Farms, which manages 550 acres of cherries, the "harvest" is virtually non-existent.
"We have certain orchards in our portfolio that don't have a crop on them at all," said Tim Gillio of San Felipe. "You could walk and check 50 trees and you won't find one cherry."
Meanwhile, at B and T Farms, also in Gilroy, the yield is so light that a commercial harvest isn't even financially viable.
Handpicking cherries is labor intensive
Dig deeper:
Grower Paul Mirassou said because cherries must be hand-picked—an expensive and labor-intensive process—it simply doesn't pay to send crews into the fields for such a small return.
Cherries are notoriously finicky, requiring a specific balance of "chill hours" in the winter and moderate temperatures during the spring. While this year is a significant blow, for local farmers, it’s a familiar struggle. Many report having only three successful years out of the last ten.
To survive, the local industry has been forced to adapt: Many farms have pulled cherry trees to plant more reliable, profitable crops. Most growers now carry crop insurance to mitigate the total loss of a season.
Forecast isn't good
What's next:
For the few cherries remaining on the trees, a new threat is looming: the forecast.
Rain is expected in Gilroy this week, which is the worst possible news for a ripening cherry. Moisture can cause the fruit to absorb water until the skin cracks or "explodes."
"We could go to zero production depending on how much rain we get," Gillio said.
To combat this, farms are preparing a high-tech defense. If the rain hits, they will deploy low-flying helicopters and air-filled commercial sprayers to literally blow the water off the trees in a desperate bid to save the remaining fruit.
As the week continues, growers are keeping their eyes fixed on the sky. As Gillio put it: "I don't think you can be faint of heart and grow cherries. I really don't."