Cherry Trees Getting Shelter from the Storm at Wickham's

Citing the damaging impact that excess rain can have on cherries, Wickham's Fruit Farm is constructing what will be the first of its kind on the North Fork – a high tunnel for cherry trees protecting them from the elements, in the hope for a better crop.

The fruit isn't a popular one among North Fork farmers. Neither Joe Gergela, president of the Long Island Farm Bureau President Joe Gergela, nor Dale Moyer, associate executive director at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, could name more than a handful of farms on the East End that harvest cherries.

That's due in part because of the labor required to pick the small fruits, the market itself that demands the growing for them, and in also in part because of the sweet meals they offer for birds, much like grapes or berries.

But rainy seasons such as this – by mid-month, the area had sustained over three times the average rainfall – could ruin a cherry crop if it comes at the right time.

"If that rain had come a week later, these trees would be ruined," Tom Wickham said earlier this week. "Not only does it make the skin soft, but water comes up from the tree through the roots and can split the cherries."

Among another couple thousand cherry trees the farm boasts at its Cutchogue location, the high tunnels will shelter over 400 cherry trees, which will be good to pick next year. Moyer said that Wickham's is likely the first of its kind in the area to use the tunnels – similar to a greenhouse in shape – for cherry growing.

"This might be the wave of the future in terms of growing," he said, referring to the structure's use for several crops, namely berries. "If you can protect them from birds, you can usually get a premium price for the product. And you're protecting them from the elements, so they don't get the disease pressure you'd normally get. You get a longer shelf life once it's harvested."

While Wickham said this year's rainfall had no impact on his decision – it's been a project he's been saving up for – the rainfall this year has only 

"A rainy season such as this will vindicate the use of them," he said.